Dark Secrets
by Vampirycent
Summary: [KaixRei] Strange things have been happening in the schools of Tokyo, Kai is just hoping neither him nor his school will be affected. He has too much on his mind for that. But things make a very odd turn when Kai realises what is happening. R&R. COMPLETE
1. Strange Happenings

**A/N** : Been thinking about this for a while, and here it is. My first fanfic story. Hope you enjoy it.

**Warning** : Strong language, violence & M/M (shounen-ai, boyslove)

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Beyblade or any of the characters. The characters you do not recognise are mine and are not to be stolen/used in any story other than my own.

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Waking up on the floor to find the television and radio on, his book still open where he had left it, Kai realised that he hadn't remembered falling asleep here. Blurry crimson eyes tried to focus on the room around him… 'Why am I here?' He asked himself slowly. He was sure he had been upstairs in his room, but waking up in the living room proved him wrong. Clambering to his feet and again trying to focus as his vision still seemed blurred, he turned the radio off and was about to the same to the television when a report got his attention.

'_Another strange disappearance of money from a small Tokyo school forces many pupils to move to different schools and change their names…'_

Listening to the report for a little longer, he shook his head. This kept happening. 'What the hell is going on?' He questioned, wilfully hoping that nothing would happen at his own school. He had enough to deal with anyway, without having large amounts of money and valuables stolen from him or any other of his class mates.

He wasn't exactly _friends_ with any of his class, he tended to keep himself to himself. Still, if anything happened, he too would be forced to move – He couldn't cope with that at the moment. Plus, if he moved, the school would find out that he actually lived alone – Everyone thought he lived with foster carers. Still, after his 16th birthday at least he could stop pretending, at that age he would be legal to live alone.

He turned the TV off and sat back on the sofa, massaging his temples. School started again a few days and he still had a lot of work to do. Still, at least being back at school meant he could kick his social life back into shape. He hadn't seen anybody except his next-door neighbour since the half-term holidays had begun two weeks ago; and his neighbour wasn't exactly the kind of girl you could sit with at ease. Being two years older than Kai and having the exact same cold, inward attitude as his own, they couldn't really make chit-chat, not that he wanted to. He was a loner by nature, he didn't _need_ anybody. Occasionally though, a little bit of social conversation was alright.

Slowly rising to his feet, Kai walked to his study, sat down, and began his work. He could tell he wasn't going to finish in three days if he wanted to stay sane, but he also knew he had to.

"Coffee would be a good start." He muttered to himself, so again rose to his feet and dragged himself to the kitchen. Flicking the switch on the machine, Kai looked in the mirror, not something he did often. He stood and stared, wondering. "Yikes." He stammered, seeing himself in such a state. His triangles were smudged in lines down his face, his hair was an uncombed mess, he had a bruise on his shoulder and some of his triangles' blue was smudged on his scarf. He turned away from the mirror and quickly grabbed a cloth, wiping away the remains of his trademark face paint. He removed his scarf and threw it toward the washing pile, then inspected the bruise. Obviously, falling asleep in the living room wasn't the only thing he couldn't remember.

After pouring himself a good, strong cup of coffee and neatening himself up, he took a seat back in front of his desk, only to find his work had already been finished.

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	2. Accusing Flames

**Warning** : Strong language, violence & M/M

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Beyblade or any of the characters. The characters you do not recognise are mine and are not to be stolen/used in any story other than my own.

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Kai stared at the papers on his desk in utter disbelief. He did not complete his work, he knew he didn't. But then, why was it all here in front of him, completed in his hand writing? He didn't understand, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. First he wakes up on the living room floor, then he finds his homework completed! What the fuck was going on? Kai wished to himself that he was dreaming and would wake up soon, in his own bed. Wake up to a normal life where schools weren't stolen from or burned down, and where nothing out of the ordinary happened. He pondered that thought for a while, then collected up his papers and thumbed through them.

'I don't understand.. It's all here, it's all done.' Confusion wasn't one of Kai's favourite feelings, and neither was the one he was beginning to feel in the pit of his stomach. 'Walk. Go for a walk.' He silently decided, slamming the papers back down onto his desk. He sidled out of the study and up the stairs, breathing a sigh of relief that nothing was out of place. He painted his triangles back onto his cheeks and neatened his slate coloured hair. After grabbing his keys, he darted down the stairs and straight out the front door, not wanting to suddenly notice anything else that may bring back his slowly fading uneasy feeling.

Once in the park he felt much better. Too much had been going on and he had needed to escape. Waking up in the wrong place he could just about handle, but the completed papers he could not. He sat on a bench overlooking the town. It had taken a while to walk to the top, but once up there, he was glad. He breathed a sigh as he took the sights in. The town looked so beautiful as nothing stirred in the cold night air. It was only once he'd got out the front door that Kai had even realised it wasn't light yet. He stared out through the serene darkness to the bright lights of the near town, a warm mix of orange and white streetlamps and the red tail lights of seemingly unmoving cars. A rush of calm came over him, soothing his thoughts. He pulled a packet of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one.

"Bad habit.." He scolded himself quietly, taking a comforting drag. He slid into thought about going back to school and seeing his classmates. Though he didn't speak with any of them, he would be glad to be around people again. Settling on this thought, he closed his eyes and listened to the wind, which was blowing through his hair softly. Another sigh escaped his lungs. Peace. At last, peace. The distant sounds of the town below him crept into his ears. Trains snaking through the valley, cars trawling along the streets, the low hum of people as they started to awake in the morning's first light. Kai reopened his eyes and watched as a deep orange glow took over the once dark urban streets. He much preferred Japan to Russia. It had more beauty and depth by far, or at least it did to his cool crimson eyes.

A feeling of cold rose through him as he wished for someone to be sharing this scene with him, again not a thought he had often. Of course there were a few times he would like someone around, but he still loved being alone.

'It would have to be someone very special…' He thought to himself, musing over the cold, almost empty feeling inside of him when he had made his silent wish. He quickly shook it away, wondering why he had even thought it in the first place.

"I'm fine on my own. I need nobody." He told himself firmly, standing up and flicking the end of his cigarette away. A cool breeze brushed past, sending a chill down his spine. He silently began to walk back to his home, still subconsciously considering the wish to have someone with him.

Turning the corner of his street, he stopped and stood still. Staring at the red glare of flames that were twisting their way around the flat opposite Kai's, he felt a tug at his stomach. The place was surrounded with police and paramedics. He stalked through the small crowd to look up at the burning mass, his neighbours distraught outside their wilting home. He knew this was a bad start to an equally bad day. That family hadn't lived there long, only a couple of months. Kai suspected they were one of the many families who'd had to be relocated since the schools had been hit with strange happenings.

After being grabbed by the shoulder, Kai cursed himself for jumping. It was only Irika; his tall, cold, dark-haired next door neighbour. A faint smirk played on her lips.

"They don't know how the fire started." She told him, staring coolly from her steel grey eyes into his crimson ones. Turning back to the flaming mess, they both stared. Kai turned to go back to his own flat, when Irika stopped him. "Nobody is allowed to leave until they've been questioned and relocated for tomorrow night." That smirk was cold. She obviously found this funny. Kai rolled her words over in his head. Relocated. This was getting out of hand : Houses were being attacked now.

He didn't understand the morning's events, but a dark idea in his head kept insinuating that if he'd woken in his own bed that morning, none of this would have happened. He could see no sense in his suggestion, but the cold, gripping feeling wouldn't leave him alone. He had been stood, listening to the authorities for over an hour. Apparently he had to get on a train with the rest of the crowd and witnesses and be taken to a hotel. Great. He rolled his eyes sarcastically as the policemen carried on explaining that until they find a cause for the fire, they could only assume it had been done on purpose by somebody and that everyone would have to stay in the hotel. On hearing this, Kai sighed in desperation and went to collect his belongings from his flat.

The train ride was a mix of emotion around him, while Kai had sat in silence, crimson eyes to the floor. 'This is pathetic.' He thought. 'Who the fuck would set fire to house? And why today? Today when I can't understand what's going on anyway…' The questions in his mind carried on for most of the journey. It was only when Irika came and sat by him that he was jerked from them. He kept his head down without greeting her.

"Hey." She greeted him though… Kai lifted his head and looked at her. The smirk was gone, she actually looked slightly worried. "The investigator said the fire was no accident." Her quiet voice informed him. "You know I saw you leave your house… Where did you go?" Her cold eyes seemed to be searching him for answers. 'Fuck!' Kai thought, 'she thinks it was me!'

"I went to the park." He replied in a cold tone, annoyed at her obvious accusation.

"What were you doing there?" She wasn't giving up, and Kai knew it.

"Getting some peace and quiet." That wouldn't be enough… "I've had a rough morning"

"Rough morning or not, you're going to end up a suspect." She protested back. "Who the hell goes to the park before the sun is even up?"

Kai slumped back against his chair. "I didn't do it." His simple, honest reply. Irika still looked unsure.

"You're going to need a better alibi than that." With that, she turned her back to him and continued to read her book. Kai crossed his arms and put his head back down. Closing his eyes, new questions began to form and nag at his brain. He didn't think he couldn't handle this. Too much was going on in his mind, so he let himself slip into a troubled slumber.

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	3. Images

**Warning** : Strong language, violence & M/M

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Beyblade or any of the characters. The characters you do not recognise are mine and are not to be stolen/used in any story other than my own.

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Rushing to get ready for school, Kai almost forgot his homework. It was 5:30 in the morning, he had to be in school for 8. "Idiots could have put me in a hotel closer to the school." He moaned, shoving the papers into his bag and sauntering out the door. Placing a cigarette between his lips and lighting it, he started for the train station. His thoughts were still on Irika's accusation a few days before; they had been on his thoughts since she had uttered her unbelievable suggestion. He had been smoking more the past few days, despite knowing how bad it was for him. He was under a lot of pressure. The police had questioned him twice and still wanted to ask him more. Growling under breath as he neared the station, he saw the clock. 'I'm going to be late.' He assured himself. Although he had rushed to try and be on time, it was the last thing on his mind. He had contemplated missing school, but knew that would get him nowhere.

He sat down heavily on a bench and opened his cigarette packet. 'Fuck it' he thought, taking another and lighting it. As he did so, he caught sight of a group of teenagers slightly younger than himself, also sporting the dark blue uniform and school tie that he wore. He guessed they must be the new first years, a year below himself, as he didn't recognise any of them. He watched them as he smoked, two of the group having a play fight, while three others played a card game. The sixth in the group, however, sat slightly away from the rest, reading a book. The play-fighters seemed to be trying to get his attention, but to no avail. The reader was tall and slim with tanned skin and long midnight black hair, kept out his eyes by a red bandana, the rest wrapped in a tight bandage that hung down the boy's back. Golden eyes flicked to the side as the play-fighters crashed into the rest of their group, sending cards and loud curses flying everywhere, soon followed by giggly apologies. Kai turned his head away and continued smoking, still seeing the image of the dark-haired boy in his mind. He looked over at the group once more and smirked. 'My dark-haired creature doesn't look so impressed…' He laughed in his mind, then stopped. '… _My_ dark-haired creature?'

Kai was happy when the train arrived, pulling him away from that uncomfortable notion. 'Great' he thought sarcastically, 'another thing I don't understand.' He was barely seated when the train doors started closing again and people rushed forward so as not to miss their journey. He pushed unwanted whims out of his mind and sat in silence, staring at the floor, wishing for time to speed up so he could be away from the city bustle and back at school. He also wished for the police to find out what had happened to his neighbour's home so he would be left alone. He _also_ wished Irika hadn't accused him of something he did not do. Luckily for Kai, the journey did seem to go quite quickly and he arrived at the station on time. Of course, then he just had to find the bus that would take him to school… He stared around the huge station and wondered where to go. There were buses and trains everywhere! Getting lost in his thoughts as he pondered about which direction to turn, a long bandage of black hair floated past him. He turned to see the group wandering off toward a stand. Kai followed, looking at the teen in front. 'He's not human… Or, at least, not _all_ human.' He observed, watching the bandaged hair swing side to side as the boy walked. A thump in the arm hastily brought him back from his thoughts. He looked around for the offender, then saw three teens from the year above skate off, sneering and swearing at him as they rounded the corner. He growled loudly and cursed at them under breath. 'The school idiots.' Kai reminded himself. They always loved to jab at Kai for being different and having no parents or friends. He didn't really care, he just found it pretty irritating at times.

Having reached his bus stop, he leaned up the glass of the shelter and began smoking yet another cigarette. 'Fourth one today…' He informed himself with a slight nod. It was then that he realised the group of six were looking at him. Four boys and two girls, just standing there staring. He gave them all a cold look, causing them to look away. 'What the hell were _they_ looking at?' He questioned angrily.

"Sorry… Are you okay?" Came a sweet, innocent girl's voice from behind him. Kai turned to look at the speaker. She was taller than her other five companions, possibly taller than Kai himself. She had shoulder-length lilac hair tucked behind her ears and bright pure blue eyes. Although she seemed sincere and friendly, Kai didn't feel like chatting. He preferred to stick to his thoughts.

"Hm." He retorted, turning again to face away from them. He would have drifted back into his daydreams if the bus hadn't arrived. He meandered through the few other students waiting to board and pushily made his way to the front of the queue. Once on the bus, he slipped back into thought, however not the kind of thought he had wanted. Again his mind was on the dark-haired teen. Kai tried to get rid of the image of the boy forming in his head, but it wouldn't go away. Instead, it stayed there and toyed with his mind for the entire journey.

Stepping from the bus and making his way toward the large school gates, Kai cursed himself for thinking about the younger teen. For a whole twenty minutes, his mind had pictured nothing but long black hair and large golden eyes. 'But the best bit was the slim, slender body…' Kai stopped, thinking he would hit himself if he carried on. He turned a corner to his locker and threw his bag inside, locking it again afterwards. He then noticed the small sign that had been stuck on there with tape.

"Kai sucks." He read it aloud to himself before ripping it off and screwing it up into a small ball, which he then kicked down the long corridor. He punched his locker, suddenly feeling angry. His anger was pushed to the limit when the same three boys who had hit him at the station, whizzed down the corridor on their boards, shouting 'Kai sucks' on their way through. Kai leant up his locker and sighed angrily, growling slightly. He started making his way to the classroom, hopeful to calm down. At least a bit. He rounded a corner and opened the door to his classroom.

"Kai, you're late." Came the bossy voice of their teacher.

"Hm." Kai replied and took his seat. This was going to be a very long day. The more the teacher talked about English grammar, the more Kai started to daydream… The black hair, the beautiful golden eyes, the slender, tanned body. He was infatuated and he didn't care. 'At least having someone to think about keeps other things off my mind.' He smirked to himself. Still, that much was true. Since he'd seen the younger teen, a lot of his other troubles hadn't played in his mind so much. The fire, the accusation from Irika, the completed homework, the state he was in after waking up in the wrong place… None of that had bothered him after seeing the boy at the station. Kai suddenly remembered the sunrise and how it would have been great to have shared it with… 'Woah. Bit too far Hiwatari.' Shaking away that particular feeling, and coming back into reality, he realised he'd missed the entirety of his teacher's speech and had no clue what was required of him that lesson. Staring at the board at the front of the classroom and seeing the many questions on it, Kai figured out what he had to do. He took up his pen, opened his book and began copying down the questions, answering them as he went.

"Homework!" The shrill voice of their teacher rung out through the room. Kai cursed, he hadn't even finished the day's lesson, let alone ready to think about homework. The woman continued. "You're to finish the rest of these for your homework, and I have made a sheet with another 30 that you have to complete." A groan ran around the room, voicing the disapproval of the class. The small woman began walking between desks, placing a sheet on each one. She stopped when she got to Kai, looking down at his work unhappily.

"Three questions?" There was obvious disbelief in her voice. "Three questions?" She tapped her foot angrily as Kai's uncaring crimson eyes met hers. "This isn't good enough Hiwatari. Detention." And with that she skulked off, continuing to hand out her sheet. Kai rolled his eyes. Like he cared about getting a detention. At least it was a distraction - now he wouldn't have to get the train back with his beautiful stranger. Though… He _would_ have to be in a room with the school idiots for a whole hour and risk missing his bus back to the station. 'Serves me right I guess.' He sighed slowly, resting his head on the desk and closing his eyes. If he already had detention then what was the point of bothering?

"KAI HIWATARI!" Ah… That was it. That was the point. Kai lifted his head off the desk to see the teacher glaring at him. For someone as stout as that, she sure could give a mean look. Half of Kai's class had left, the other half were all laughing at him and whispering in disbelief. Some of Ms. Butcher's next class were snickering in the hall way, looking at him. Kai noticed with a painful eye that one of the pupils outside was in fact the dark-haired object of his lust. He too was giggling. Kai stared at the boy for a while, before he was given a hefty shove back into reality by his teacher's raised voice.

"Get up!" Kai slowly obliged and yawned. Butcher was _not_ impressed. "Who the hell do you think you are? First you sit and daydream, then you don't do the work and fall asleep in my class!" She carried on for a while.

'I wonder how long she'll shout at me for…' Kai smirked to himself. Unfortunately, the smirk showed on his face which made the small woman scream more. Kai got bored. He picked up his bag from the floor and pushed past her, making for the door.

"Don't just walk off Kai."

He kept walking.

"Kai!"

Kept walking.

"KAI HIWATARI!"

Slam. Kai had closed the door behind him, blocking the angry brunette's voice out. Nobody shouted at him like that. He realised everyone was staring at him. He simply turned and sauntered off toward his next class as he heard the exasperated teacher fling the door open and glare at him from down the hall. He did not care. The only thing on his mind was the cute smile on the stranger's face as he'd laughed. Kai smiled to himself as he rounded another corner. That was an image he didn't mind playing on his thoughts, which it did for the rest of the day.

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	4. Hotels & Cats

**Warning** : Strong language, violence & M/M

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Beyblade or any of the characters. The characters you do not recognise are mine and are not to be stolen/used in any story other than my own.

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Kicking his shoes off and collapsing on the bed, Kai was tired and frustrated. Not only had his hour-long detention been excessively lame, but he'd also been made to go and talk to the head mistress as a punishment for his "Disrespectful behaviour" as Ms. Butcher had put it.

"Teachers are so full of shit." Kai muttered to himself angrily, flicking the switch on the kettle. All he wanted was a good, strong cup of coffee, and knew he wouldn't calm down until the soothing dark liquid touched his lips. The kettle boiled and Kai got his wish. He sighed deeply and stirred, thinking. Thinking of the past few days. Thinking of all the strange events. Thinking of the fire and the homework. Thinking of all these things, Kai turned the television on and waited for the news. He sat on the bed, sipping his coffee. He sighed again, enjoying the taste. He wanted to think more about everything, but felt like his mind would explode if he did, so just sat and drank. After finishing his coffee, he lay down and, closing his eyes, tried to push away the bad thoughts creeping across his imagination.

'_Welcome to the eight o'clock news, I'm Matthew Gander'_

Kai woke with a start at hearing the title, turned the TV up and watched the screen in anticipation. Somewhere deep inside he was hoping for an explanation… But in that same space of his stomach, he was also fearing the worst…

'Wait…' Kai stared at the screen, confused. "Eight o'clock?" He voiced his confusion. He must have fallen asleep, he'd got back to the hotel at half six. He listened as the headlines began.

'_Headlines this evening : Police still have no lead on the house fire in outer Tokyo, and are baffled as another school was found burning early this evening…'_

Kai's eyes widened as a picture of his school loomed onto the screen in front of him. He had been there only a few hours ago; when did this happen? He listened to the reporter on-screen telling the world that nobody can explain how the fire started and that it could be related to the house that was burnt down just a few days ago. Kai couldn't breathe. All he could do was sit and stare, wondering why these things kept happening.

'_Nobody was hurt, but a lot of the staff are still in shock. Four of the school's teachers were outside when the building went up in flames. They say various keys to the building were stolen during the attack. Students are required to attend the school tomorrow for a student-teacher meeting to find out if anybody saw or heard anything…'_

The report went on and on and Kai couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd have to move schools, he knew it. He turned the television off, not wanting to hear any more. People suspected him of burning his neighbours' flat, what would they think when they find out that _his_ school had been attacked too? The police were going to be there, and they were going to question him. He knew it.

'Calm down Kai…' A voice told him in the back of his mind. 'You know you're innocent.' He gasped, suddenly seeing someone in the corner of his room. He jumped to his feet and looked around, but nobody was there. Kai's heart was racing… Was he… Scared? He tried to shake the feeling off but it refused to go away. Something wasn't right and he didn't like it. He turned back round to get himself another coffee, and there it was. Right there on the table, next to the kettle was a little piece of paper.

"Three days." Kai read. He hadn't written that note, just like he hadn't finished his homework, but there it was. Three days in his handwriting. He fell back onto the bed in vexation. All these things kept happening to him. Three days until what? He was certain he saw somebody in the corner once more.

"Leave me alone!" Kai had meant it to be loud, but it had come out in a whisper. He grabbed his bag and ran out of the hotel room, clutching the note, heart racing, tears in his eyes.

Down the stairs, through the reception, out into the cold night air. He stopped. Looking both left and right at the cars whizzing past him, he ran across the road at the first chance he could. Where he was going to go, he had no idea. Anywhere, as long as he was away from the Haunted Hotel. He could see the soft glow of the city ahead of him and knew that that is where he should head. The wind picked up and bit harshly at his neck. He wished he had his scarf. He wished… 'Huh?' Kai felt something in his pocket. He stopped walking and pulled out a set of keys.

"These aren't mine." He muttered to himself in confusion. He didn't remember picking them up either. Shrugging it off, he continued walking. The more he walked, the further away the city seemed to get, so he was relieved to find a bench. Sitting down, he immediately reached for his cigarettes, but he couldn't find his lighter. Kai sat, looking annoyed, for quite a few minutes. He drifted into thought about his day, and quickly jerked himself back to reality again. He didn't want to get thinking, not now. He heard voices coming toward him, and hoped one of them would have a light. The voices came nearer and into vision.

It was them. That little group of six. Kai cursed himself as he began thinking about the owner of the golden eyes that slowly came closer. He listened to the conversation between two of the group. A navy-haired boy talked excitedly about the school being burned down on his first day. A small, hyperactive blonde kept contradicting him. Kai tensed as he heard it.

"Three days!" The navy-haired boy exclaimed.

Kai stood up, glaring down at the speaker. The group stopped in front of him and simply stared, not knowing what was going on.

"What did you say?" Those crimson eyes could have burnt a hole through metal. The group looked confused, but the boy answered.

"Th-Thr-Three d-days." He replied shakily, unaccustomed to being spoken to in such harsh tones. Kai huffed.

"Until _what_?" He demanded, now looking just as confused as the younger group before him.

"That's what was written across a wall in the school that was burnt out." A short, simple answer came in a soft voice, forcing Kai stare at the speaker.

"What?" He replied, staring into the tanned face, surrounded by untidy black hair, only kept from his eyes by a red bandana.

"When the police went to see if they could find any clues… That was written on the wall. In a classroom." Kai looked at the boy. He had fangs. And the yellow eyes… He looked… Like a cat. The boy obviously noticed Kai's stares. "I'm a neko-jin."

"Right." Was his short reply. 'Well that explains a lot…' Kai thought. The group just looked at him, waiting for him to say something. The short silence was broken. "Any of you got a light?" He held up his cigarette pointedly.

The navy-haired boy pulled a box of matches from his pocket, smiled sheepishly, and offered them to Kai. He lit his cigarette and gave the box back to the boy, nodding a silent 'thanks'. He needed to find somewhere to stay for the night, so picked up his bag and walked passed the small gang. He smiled slightly at the neko-jin as he left, making his appreciation for the information known. The cat-like boy smiled back widely, showing sharp fangs. Kai had to turn his head away so the boy didn't see him smirk.

Leaving the group, he slunk off toward the city, his mind torn between concentrating on the matter at hand or his feline friend. Kai wanted to think about the latter, but knew he needed focus. Things were not right, and he was worried. Fingers clasped around the note and the un-belonging keys in his pocket.

'Three days…' He pondered. 'Three days… Til what?'

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	5. Guilt, Pain, Jealousy

**Warning** : Strong language, violence & M/M

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Beyblade or any of the characters. The characters you do not recognise are mine and are not to be stolen/used in any story other than my own.

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'Where am I?' He rolled onto his back, feeling pain all over. He groaned, opening his eyes to see… Concrete? Kai sat up, moaning about the pain in his side. 'No wonder it hurts,' he thought, 'sleeping on concrete all night.' It was barely light. He looked around to take in the place he'd woken to find himself. There were benches dotted along the side of the large building he had been sprawled against, and a large digital clock read 05:58. 'The train station…' Kai realised where he was. He also realised that his train would arrive in fifteen minutes. He rubbed his eyes, standing up and pulling his bag onto his back, people giving him looks of disgust, sympathy and utterconfusion as hescanned the areawith crimson eyes, unsure what he was searching for.'Food.' Whether it was his head or his stomach that had made the demand, Kai decided it would be a good idea to oblige, so sauntered off to find something to eat.

Strolling casually into a sandwich bar, he noticed a certain gang of people in the corner. Ignoring them as theysaw him, he ordered himself some breakfast. Glancing sideways, henoted that it was not the usual group of six, but a group of four. Three boys and a girl. The loud blond boy seemed to be cheering on his navy-haired friend, who was eating, Kai decided, an impressive amount for someone his size and age. The third of the boys sat quietly, his bandaged black hair curving over his shoulder and hanging limply at his side, his golden eyes concentrating on the food before them, occasionally flicking up to watch his louder friends. The lilac haired girl, Kai noticed, was the one who had offered him conversation and had asked if he was alright, as he'd stood moodily by himself at the station the day before.

"Here's your food mate." The man behind the counter pushed a sandwich and drink toward Kai. "356 please mate."

Kai searched around in his bag until he found his wallet. He gave 360Y to the man and waited for his change. On receiving it, he took his food over to a table away from the foursome, keeping his back turned to them. It wasn't that he didn't like them, those new first years appeared to be the only six in the school who didn't treat him as an inferior, he just didn't feel like socialising. Apparently that didn't matter.

"Hey…" A soft voice from behind made him turn and, what he thought of as a nice sight, met his eyes. Crimson met gold and shone slightly as Kai gave a polite smile. The neko-jin smiled back, flashing fangs. "Why don't you come and sit with us?"

Kai had to try hard not to glare. "No thanks. I've got some homework to finish." He lied. 'Sit with them.. Yeah right. I need some alone time..' He then noticed the slight disappointment in the cat's yellow eyes. It only stayed for a second, but it had been there, and Kai had felt the slight pang of guilt.

"Oh, okay." Replied the boy, returning to his friends. Kai turned back to his breakfast and began poking at it. He wasn't really hungry anymore. Instead of eating, he gathered up his bag and drink and slowly dragged himself back outside onto the platform. He looked up at the clock. 06:11.

'I hate waiting for things.' He sighed deeply, glancing up and down the tracks that lay before him. He again settled into thought, something he'd recently decided he did too often. His mind came to rest upon the note. Three days, now two days, he supposed. 'But.. Until what? Maybe it means.. Two days until everything stops and goes back to normal.' Kai felt his stomach turn. 'Or.. Or maybe it means.. Two days until the next attack..' He rolled these ideas around in his head for a while, until loud, squeaky brakes on metal tracks brought him back to reality.

As usual, the train ride was silent. The bustle of people around him was completely ignored by Kai, though the loud chomping from a few seats away did interrupt his thinking.

"I don't know what his problem is." Came the muffled voice, food was obviously still in the speaker's mouth. Kai pricked his ears and listened to the conversation; they didn't seem know he was there.

"Don't talk with food in your mouth." The girl replied huffily. "It's disgusting."

"No, what's disgusting…" The boy swallowed his food. "Was that guy's attitude."

"He said he had homework to finish…" Kai recognised that voice. His cat friend seemed to be sticking up for him.

"No excuse. Anyway, I didn't see him with any homework." The boy didn't seem to shut up. Ignoring him and rolling his eyes, Kai pulled a book and pen from his bag and began to write.

_1. Woke up downstairs._

_2. Face paint smudged, hair mess._

_3. Homework done._

_4. Neighbour's fire._

_5. School fire._

_6. Note – Three days._

_7. Haunted hotel._

_8. Keys._

_9. Lighter missing._

Kai thought for a minute before adding the last one. Okay, so it was nothing big, but it was still a bit strange. He kept it on him at all times. 'What else has been happening lately?' He wondered. 'Oh yeah…'

_10. Waking up at station._

Scanning his list, a little voice in the back of his mind made a very obvious statement. 'Some weird stuff's been going on.' Just after that thought, a loud scream and kafuffle from behind him caused him to look round. His eyes met the scene :A man in his early twenties was holding a young lilac-haired girl by the throat, demanding money, while the crowds around them were shouting and trying to help her… Or hissing. He noticed the neko-jin looking very angry, fangs bared, narrowed golden eyes with slits for pupils. Kai suddenly realised everyone was looking at him… Then noticed why.

'Shit.' He thought to himself. Without realising, he had got to his feet and strode over to the crowd, and was now face to face with the girl's attacker, who pushed her away from him and stared down into Kai's angry crimson eyes.

"What are you looking at kid? Want a piece of me?" The large man made a grab toward Kai's throat, but seemed shocked when his fist was easily blocked by the young blunette before him. Whether he had meant to do it or not, Kai hadn't really registered this, he had punched the man in the jaw, practically asking for trouble. This blatantly angered the man, but seeing three security men walking toward him, he decided to let it drop. After watching the beefy man being escorted away, he turned to the group, to find them smiling appreciatively.

"Thank you so much!" The girl beamed at him. Kai smiled slightly and nodded, giving her a 'you're welcome' look. "What's your name?"

Kai hesitated. 'What _is_ my problem?' He mentally scolded himself. "Kai."

"I'm Helena." She then nodded toward her friends. "And this is Tyson, Max and Rei."

Kai nodded again, taking in the information. 'Rei… So _that's_ his name.' He quickly turned away from the group, accidentally blushing. Over his shoulder, he gave a quick 'see ya' nod, and headed back to his seat. He collected his pen and book back into his hands and sighed.

_11. Train fight._

'I don't get it. Trouble is just following me, I'm surprised I'm still alive.' A split second after thinking that particular thought, he wished he hadn't. He was just expecting something bad to happen, a bomb to go off in the train or an explosion at the station, or even some huge and scary psycho to attack him on his way home after school. 'Why do I have to think things like that?' He hated himself for his negative thoughts. He couldn't remember when he had stopped thinking positively. He guessed it was after his parents were murdered when he was younger. Until then he had been a happy child, very happy. He was talkative, playful, caring, always smiling and laughing… But then his parents went out for an evening together and never came back. So he went to live with his grandfather; a very stern and strict man. That is what had done it. That had killed the sweet, bouncy spirit inside of Kai.

Coming out of his thoughts as the journey jolted to an end, Kai clambered off the train, shoving his book back into his bag. He wasn't too sure what to expect that day – Would the police want to see him about the fire in the school? He didn't understand why everybody suspected him, he just hoped that he could prove his innocence. Like Irika had said… _'You're going to need a better alibi than that.' _Kai groaned as he waited as the bus stop. There was no point questioning her, it was true. What kind of person _did_ go for a walk before the sun was up? He sighed, wishing the bus would come soon so he could get the day over with. He still needed to find somewhere to stay – No way would he go back to that haunted place.

'Since when have I believed in ghosts?' Kai felt like hitting himself. He knew he was just being stupid… Right?

"You okay?" The voice sidled him back to reality. He turned and looked at the group and nodded. 'Why don't they just leave me alone..'

"Look, I kind of want to thank you for what you did on the train. I don't know what I would have done…" Kai had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. She had thanked him once already.

"It's fine." He replied simply. The voice at the back of his head was pushing him, so he asked. "Are you okay now?"

The girl smiled brightly. "I'm good, thanks." Kai put his head back down and sighed. He soon wished he hadn't, this just got more unwanted attention. "Are you _sure_ you're alright?"

"Persistent…" Kai mumbled to himself gruffly. He then raised his head and gained eye contact with the girl, for the second time. "Yeah. Fine."

Apparently she was extremely talkative and didn't get the hint that was written all over Kai's face and body – he didn't really want to chat. Still, the girl went on. He wasn't really listening, until she mentioned the school.

"What do you think happened anyway? It's all a bit _weird_ isn't it!" Kai hadn't expected her to wait for an answer, but her group of friends were all looking at him.

"I…" He began, looking up. "I think it was another of the attacks." He spoke quietly, as if trying to keep his thoughts to himself. The group heard though, and for once, it wasn't Helena that replied.

"That's what I thought." Kai looked at the worried expression playing on the cat's face. "The attacks made me leave my last school." Kai then noted the sadness in those beautiful golden eyes.

"… What happened?" He couldn't believe that he'd actually asked that. It might be personal to the boy and bring back memories he didn't want. 'How insensitive of me…' He reflected.

"We were still in classes when it happened. People were hurt." Kai felt a strong urge to hug the neko-jin and calm his nerves; luckily the bus came.

"It's okay, Rei…" Helena muttered as they boarded their ride. Kai had wished they were his words, and his arm curved around the cat's shoulders – But they weren't. They belonged to Helena. The only thing that did belong to Kai, concerning Rei, was…

Jealousy.

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	6. Sono Koigokoro

**Warning** : Strong language, violence & M/M

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Beyblade or any of the characters. The characters you do not recognise are mine and are not to be stolen/used in any story other than my own.

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"As you all know, these attacks have been happening for quite a while, and there is still no trace or evidence that could lead us to a definite culprit." The tall, strong-looking officer had had the same stern expression on his face the entire time he spoke. Cold, seemingly black eyes scanned the array of students before him. "However… We do have some suspects." Whispers spread quickly through the crowd. The man continued. "Regarding this fact, we would like to speak with some of the students." Another wave of whispers shot through the shocked assembly. How could anybody suspect one of the school's own students..? And moreover, who would suspect…

"Kai Hiwatari, could you come with us please?" Kai looked up from his seat at the officers as masses of people around him started staring and whispering among themselves. He stood up and managed to see the look of disbelief on the neko-jin's face. Kai shrugged to him and his friends, then followed the officers toward the building.

'At lease _someone_ thinks I'm innocent…' He reassured himself. 'This is unbelievable.' He was taken to a room inside the building, one of the classrooms that hadn't been affected by the fire. One of the officers motioned for him to sit down. Kai did so, and watched as the head teacher came into the room, followed by the police chief inspector. He swallowed, nervous. He hadn't done anything!

"Kai Hiwatari, I presume?" The inspector glared down at him. Kai nodded slowly. He had nothing to be afraid of, he was innocent. The only problem was – He didn't have anything to prove his innocence either. "Kai, we'd like to have a little chat with you." The inspector sat down in front of Kai, the other two officers closing in, clutching notepads, clipboards and pens.

"Tell me something young man, you were suspected of setting fire to a home opposite your own, am I correct?" Kai nodded again, he didn't dare speak – The only words he'd be able to form were not going to help him. 'I'm innocent' were often the words of a guilty conscience. "What did your parents think about that?"

"My parents are dead." Was Kai's sullen reply. The older inspector nodded his apology.

"Who looks after you?" Did he dare tell the authorities that he lived alone at 15? He couldn't think of a good answer, nor did he want the extra trouble of them eventually finding out he had nobody looking after him.

"I…" His heart suddenly raced. Looking away, he continued. "I live on my own."

Nobody had known that. Not the inspector, nor his two officers standing with him, and certainly not his head teacher, who had a very surprised look on her face. Apparently not one of the four adults knew what to say. The inspector finally spoke.

"You're fifteen aren't you?" Was that… Sympathy in his voice? Kai nodded his reply, soon to hear his head mistress voicing hers.

"For how long Kai?"

"Four years." Again, people seemed lost for words. The inspector flicked his wrist toward his officers, who wrote down these facts. He then cleared his throat.

"Although that is illegal, not to mention a shame, it is not the matter at hand." Kai's heart sank as the business-like tone returned to the man's words. "We have reason to believe that, since you were up and out at the right time, you could be involved with the afore mentioned attack. Do you understand why you are a suspect?"

Everyone was staring at him. "Yes." He began, then shook his head. "But I didn't do it." He had spoken the words more forcefully than he'd meant to, causing the inspector to raise his brow.

"Sorry Kai, but we can't just take your word for it. This is a very serious crime – Two buildings burnt to a crisp within the space of three days."

Kai looked up quickly as those words were spoken. Three days. It echoed round his head. The inspector carried on.

"And those words were spelt out along the corridor… In what seemed to be blue spray paint. A set of keys were taken, too."

Kai's hand wrapped around the cold metal in his pocket. A set of keys, not belonging to him. He had to ask, but his voice was shaky. "What were they keys to?"

The inspector studied him, slightly confused at Kai's unsteady voice; he had seemed a very confident boy. "Various offices, some of which contained school files, papers and personal belongings..." He paused, throwing a questioning glare at Kai. "Including money."

"Was.. Anything.. Taken?" Kai asked carefully. He was so confused. He had the keys, but he _didn't_ have the money. The hadn't done anything. He hadn't attacked his neighbour. He hadn't burnt the school. He hadn't spray painted anything, he didn't even _have_ blue spray paint… But why did he have the keys?

"Not taken, no. But a few of the student files had been read through, and a few of the photographs had been taken." Kai wondered who the hell would read school files and steal pictures of students… 'Some sick weirdo, that's for sure.'

Everyone was looking stern. Nobody in that room understood what was going on. And Kai didn't understand why he was sitting there. Why had fate decided he was to be a suspect? And why the fuck did he have the keys?

"Kai…" The inspector had obviously read the expression on Kai's face. "We had a team search your flat. We found this." The man, still looking stern and still glaring with black eyes into the confused crimson of Kai's, pulled a can of blue spray paint from a bag he had next to him. Kai's heart skipped a beat.

"That wasn't there when.. I.." The inspector glared him into a silence. Had he been framed? Was this all a big joke?

"When you _what_, Kai?"

"When I left!" He growled. "I haven't been back to my flat since I was relocated." Kai was indignant. He hadn't done anything. The inspector nodded, allowing Kai to leave, but he obviously didn't believe him. The two officers opened the door and beckoned Kai to follow them back to the rest of the students. For the first time in years, Kai felt like crying.

He sat on the floor, leant up against a wall, put his head down and fought the tears. He could feel people staring at him as they passed, not daring to say anything. 'Why?' That was the only word that came to his mind as he lost the battle with his tears and he felt their wetness slide down his face. A hand rested on his shoulder. He looked sideways from the corner of his eye to see lilac hair and a sympathetic pout. Helena was crouched on the floor next to Kai. Rei, Tyson and another girl weren't far behind. The small group seemed surprised to see tears on the tough teen's face. Helena gripped his shoulder reassuringly. He didn't shake her off, as he had expected himself to.

"Hey… What happened?" Kai looked surprised at her question, since when did people actually care about him? He slowly turned his face away. He didn't need people to see him cry.

"They think it was me." He groaned. At this statement, the foursome exchanged glances, and the other three sat around Kai too. He opened his eyes and looked around at them all, then sighed, burying his face in his arms.

"But… Why do they think it was you?" Kai recognised the voice as belonging to the navy-haired boy, Tyson. Kai muttered his reply, but seemingly wasn't heard. "Come again?"

Kai looked up and repeated himself directly to the confused brown eyes in front of him. "How the fuck should I know?" He sighed again, growling. He glanced sideways to see anxious golden eyes watching him, and suddenly felt a rush of calm. He wasn't sure what the cat did to him, but he knew he'd love to find out. Then, he remembered. He looked into the tanned face and spoke. "Sorry for asking about the attack on your school." Rei smiled.

"It's okay. It just got me wondering about what would happen next." The four around him were obviously look for an explanation. He continued. "When the school was attacked, I was relocated. I've only just found my feet here, I don't want to have to move again." Everyone looked sympathetic, Kai noticed. He was too.

'I know how he feels.' He mused over the thought of having to move to his grandfather's, then having to run away to free himself from the harsh words of the stern old man.

Again, the jealousy. Kai watched as Helena comforted her friend with soft touches and soothing words. He looked away, again wishing it was him making the neko-jin feel better. It was then, that he felt the tears on his face again. 'What's _wrong_ with me?' Kai screamed at himself inside his mind. 'I don't even know him!' This time he _did_ pull his arm away as he felt the girl go to comfort him. He just wanted to be alone. He had too much on his mind. And _they_ wouldn't go away. He heard a sigh.

"Please talk to us." Her voice was so soft, Kai hadn't heard a voice that soft and welcoming since… He couldn't even remember. He just had to embrace it, whether he really wanted to or not. He muttered his apology and sniffed.

'How weak of me.' He reprimanded himself. It was only since being accused that he'd been like this. He used to be tough and ready for anything, but now… Now he had turned into this pitiful, snivelling wreck. "Why?" It was the only thing he could think of saying. It had slipped through his lips in a cold, dejected tone, resulting in the four friends to exchange apprehensive glances. The supposedly fearless navy-haired bottomless pit was the first to break the silence.

"Not meaning to sound dumb, but… Why, _what_?" Good question. Kai wasn't even sure himself what he had wanted to know. Then, he exploded.

"_Why is everything happening to me?_" He leapt to his feet and angrily strode off, leaving the startled group behind. He wasn't sure how harsh he had sounded, or if he had growled it or shouted it, but he had got the confusing message across that he was well and truly fed up. He had gone over to the lake, it was where he usually went to calm his temper during the long school hours. In a fit of rage, he tossed the keys into the depth of the water and slumped down beneath the overhanging branches of a large willow tree. He immediately chilled out.

Peace. Calm. Serenity. Quiet. Tranquillity. Stillness. Silence. Harmony. Kai wondered how many words there actually _were_ to describe his current state of person. Through the branches that obscured him from sight, he saw a certain group of people settle the other side of the lake. Maybe they were looking for him. He watched the neko-jin and smiled to himself. That boy was perfect. Perfect in body and in mind. Tall, sleek and beautiful, not too rowdy, not too shy. Closing his eyes, his state of calm reminded him of the sunset, which he now knew he _would_ share with the cat, or hopefully would… Some day.

"Rei… I wonder what his surname is…" He sighed.

"Kon." Kai jumped at the voice, opening his eyes to a mischievous cat-like expression. He smiled sheepishly and blushed slightly. The cat smirked. Kai thought he looked rather cute like that. He decided he wanted to know more about this 'Rei Kon'. Neko-jins were not from Japan, and neither was his name. He just couldn't remember where they _were_ from.

"Where are you from?" Kai asked. Rei smirked again, he had obviously known that question would be asked next, as he answered straight away.

"A little village in the Chinese mountains." He sat himself down next to Kai, smiling. As Rei said it, it suddenly seemed so obvious to Kai that he almost felt stupid. The yellow eyes fixed on his crimson ones. "And where are _you_ from?"

'So, my cat is clever too…' Kai smirked to himself. "Russia." Rei nodded, taking in the information. He smiled at Kai, obviously appreciating the fact that this seemingly cold, introverted boy was talking to him. 'Look at those _eyes_…' Kai couldn't help but stare. The only problem was, he was staring into Rei's eyes and, from his expression, Rei wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Kai stop himself from staring and tried to come up with an excuse. "Sorry… I… I've never met a neko-jin before." At that, Rei laughed.

"It's okay. I get it a lot."

"Yeah, I bet you do." Kai really hoped he hadn't said that out loud, but judging from the confused look on the cat's face, he supposed he had - 'Crap.' Seeing that the blunette was obviously lost for words, Rei chuckled. Kai wasn't too impressed with himself and tried, again, to make an excuse. "You have very distinct features, is what I meant." The cat seemed to be buying his pathetic explanation, so he continued. "People who don't know of your kind would find you… Intriguing."

"So…" The cat laughed. "Do I intrigue you?" Kai was half amused at the neko, half annoyed at himself. He'd really walked into that one. The boy had wit. Looking at Rei, he once again noticed how beautiful the creature was. Especially when he laughed – It made his eyes shine.

"You do intrigue me." He replied smoothly. A raised brow suggested the cat wasn't expecting a reply quite like that. Kai smirked, slightly raising one of his own blue eyebrows. And Kami, what an effect it had! The neko flushed red, turning a little away from Kai, who, inside, was laughing. He loved the warm feeling he had inside, watching the dark-haired teen trying to calm himself and suppress his giggles.

'So this is how it feels…' Kai had never felt that way before, so knew it had to be the one thing he'd never experienced. He sighed quietly, waiting for the cat to control himself. 'Sono koigokoro.'

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**A/N** : Sono koigokoro is Japanese for "The awakening of love".


	7. Blood & Desire

**Warning** : Strong language, violence & M/M

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Beyblade or any of the characters. The characters you do not recognise are mine and are not to be stolen/used in any story other than my own.

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After what had been a very tiring day, Kai trudged back and forth through the city streets, trying to find somewhere to stay for the night. He had thought about going back to his flat, but he didn't want to 'tamper with the evidence' that was held against him, he knew it would just make him look even more guilty. He'd wanted to follow Rei home in a hope that he could offer a place to stay, but Kai didn't think that stalking his crush was a very good idea. He just hoped he'd find somewhere before the rain began, it had already clouded over. He had no waterproof coat… He only had with him what he was wearing, and a couple of t-shirts shoved in his bag – Nothing warm to protect him from the weather.

He stopped, realising he'd walked himself in a complete circle and was pretty much lost. He knew there was a park near by, so ambled around in the cooling breezes trying to find it. Once within the small park, he dropped heavily onto a bench, needing the rest. The were some children playing nearby, laughing noisily. Listening to them, Kai smiled. It reminded him of past happiness, and he made a silent wish for each of those children to have a happy life. Although he came off as a cold person, Kai loved children. He preferred spending time playing with them rather than with any one of his own age… Though, the neko-jin seemed to be filled with conversations that would interest Kai. He'd been sat for a good few minutes when the clouds opened and the rain began to fall – Heavily. Groaning, Kai picked himself up and started walking again. Goosebumps appeared on his arms as a shiver ran through his body, the wind was picking up and it was extremely cold. An extra sharp force struck the side of Kai's face.

'That wasn't rain…' Kai was slightly dazed, and groaned as his head crashed onto tarmac after a second strike to his face. He felt his bag being forced from his shoulders, and then he realised. 'Fuck.' He tried not to panic as a foot collided with the small of his back, and another soon to his shin. He clung desperately onto his bag as more kicks and punches were aggressively being administrated to his already aching torso. Kai managed to pull himself to his feet, only to be punched hard in the stomach. The offender soon wished he had made no move, as Kai gave one angry hit to the man's jaw, knocking him back. Striking out at the second offender, before grabbing his bag and running, Kai wished death upon his muggers. He spat blood on the floor and headed back into the light of the main city – Since the heavy rain had began, the surrounding atmosphere had darkened.

Rounding another corner, Kai didn't have a clue where he was. Apparently it was some kind of suburban nightmare. Completely unlike the spacious, comfy two-storey flat that Kai owned, the street before him was home to masses of dodgy-looking high-rise flats that could fall down any second, tiny little scruffy terraced homes with roof slates missing, and a couple of old, burnt-out or abandoned buildings. 'Nice.' Thought the blunette, sarcastically. Tensing as he heard hushed laughter, Kai's crimson eyes flicked from side to side; he wasn't really too keen on meeting another person who wanted to beat the crap out of him and steal his money. Spitting yet another mouthful of blood onto the pavement, the blunette sauntered toward the other end of the street, but was brought to a halt by somebody whispering his name. Heart beating slightly faster, Kai searched around him with accusing eyes that twitched at any movement.

'Kai…' There it was again. 'Follow me.' Wanting to run from the voice, the perplexed teenager turned on his heel. He was about to run when he could see the men up ahead – the ones who had attacked him. They began running at him. Kai had no choice. He darted toward the disembodied voice and ran like hell. He didn't know where he was going, but found himself _listening_ _to that voice._ It was telling him where to turn, where to run, where to hide, it whispered fuzzily that he should turn left, and as he did so, he stumbled onto…

"The basketball courts?" Kai didn't have a clue why he'd been directed there, or why he'd even followed that stupid voice in the first place. He didn't know how to get back to the station, he didn't have anywhere to stay that night, but.. He wasn't alone. The crimson eyes were fixed on a tall figure, running around in the rain bouncing a basketball and taking perfect shots that always scored. Another two boys seemed to be trying to get the ball from the taller, more flexible teen. Kai watched, then accidentally gave his presence away, by needing to cough up another mouthful of blood. The pairs of eyes focused upon him, one green, one brown, one gold, as the crimson-eyed boy wiped some blood from his lips.

"What the hell happened to you?" The owner of the brown eyes spoke, staring up at Kai from beneath navy tresses. The elder blunette registered the angst on the teen's face as he half asked, half demanded what had caused the blood and bruises that were heavily spread across Kai's face. He also noticed the small blond and the cat had the very same worry written in their eyes. He sighed, wiping away some persistent blood that had once again started leaking from his nose.

"I was attacked." Kai told the trio simply; but of course, this only brought more questions.

"By who?"

"When?"

"Where?"

"Are you okay?"

It was the soft tone of the last question that bought his eyes to meet those of the neko. Kai nodded and knew he had to ask… There seemed to be no other way.

"I'm fine… Can I stay at your place?" Three pairs of eyes lit up. The two younger boys nodded, looking at Rei. He smiled at them and turned back to Kai. 'Do they… All… Live together?" He wondered.

"Sure." As the cat spoke his answer, the other two grinned at each other. "These two are staying at mine tonight too." That statement answered the others questions forming in the slate-haired teen's mind. He nodded. The next question directed at him, however, came as quite a surprise.

"Do you have a home?" The blond speaker cowered slightly at the glare from Kai, so tried to explain his question. "Well I just… Last night you were sleeping at the station and now you…" The crimson-eyed death glare still on him, the boy trailed off into silence, looking at his feet. Kai then realised that it was actually quite a justified question. He pondered his answer before speaking, turning away as he did so.

"At the moment… No." Despite having asked the question, this obviously came as a surprise, as it did to the other teens standing before the shivering blunette, who choked on a little more of his own blood. A strong gust of wind sent a cold shock down Kai's spine. He absent-mindedly folded his arms across his stomach and gripped his elbows. Damn, it was cold. The sky lit up suddenly with a flash that was shortly followed by a horrific low grumble, which sent the small blonde cascading into his two friends', quivering.

"I think we should go now." The boy whispered, green eyes darting around in fear. The others nodded their agreement as Rei waved a hand in toward himself, motioning Kai to follow them.

It wasn't long at all before the soaked group trudged through the door of Rei's small house, soon to be greeted by a tall, sleek woman with the same black hair and yellow eyes as her son's. After looking at the three teens she knew well and 'tutting' about them staying out in the rain, her soft eyes fell upon Kai. The golden orbs studied his bruises and the blood staining his face, before moving toward his soaked clothes. She looked back at her son, questioning.

"This is Kai. We met him at school… And he had nowhere to stay." The boy paused. "You don't mind do you?" The woman shook her head, turning her gaze back to the tall blunette before her. She began muttering as she ushered the four into the warm, cosy space of the living room.

"Poor boy… Drenched to the bone, cut and hurt, nowhere to stay…" Her sympathetic murmurs could be heard as she headed into the kitchen. Kai looked around the room, taking in the smiley family photos and the calm, happy atmosphere of the entire home. Looking at one photo in particular, he smiled. Two adults, both with dark hair and tanned skin stood, each holding a young child in one arm, the other of their arms wrapped around another, older boy that stood in front of them.

'They look so happy.' Kai sighed to himself, wishing he'd had a family like this. Rei had obviously noticed the teen, and had come to stand by him. Picking up the photo, he pointed to the individual members in their wonderful, relaxed stances, locked within a perfect picture.

"That's my mum and dad." He informed Kai, crimson eyes following the cat's finger as it pointed to the adults. Then to the children, first the girl perched on his mother's hip, "And that's my sister," then to the slighter younger boy in his father's arm, "my brother," and lastly to the boy stood in front, "and me. I was only eight in that picture." The cat chuckled. Kai sighed again, the teenager next to him knew how lucky he was to have a caring family and a home, and didn't gloat about it. Looking into the innocent golden eyes, Kai hoped that Rei would be okay tomorrow… For then, the 'three days' would be up.

'Something bad will happen.' He knew it would. Although he couldn't explain it, there was a dark, uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. 'But it better not happen to my cat.' Kai had almost taken hold of Rei's arm as he'd had his distressing thought. He didn't want _anything_ to happen to the beautiful neko-jin beside him – Unless it would make the dark-haired teen happy.

"Kai… You okay?" Glazed eyes and a dark glare showed the deep thought of the blunette wasn't the nicest of thoughts. The other three teens had obviously noticed that something was amiss, and had decided to mention it. Kai blinked and nodded at the younger blunette who had asked the question. Rei spoke up.

"Let's go upstairs and change into something dry. Then we can eat." Everyone seemed to approve of this idea, either silently as Kai had, or with a loud "Whoop!" that Tyson and Max seemed fit to use in agreement.

It appeared that Rei's room was in the attic and, after climbing the normal stairs, Kai watched as Rei pulled a fold-out wooden ladder down from a trapdoor in the ceiling. He followed the other three teens inside, then watched as Rei pulled the ladder back up and closed his 'door'. Crimson eyes stared round the large room, it obviously stretched across the entire house, the size of it made that much evident. It was decorated with cream walls, a red Chinese pattern ran round the centre as a border. Carpet, curtains, drapes and bed covers were the same deep red as the border. Due to the low ceiling of the attic room, Rei's bed had been specially made. It was just a mattress on the floor, but had a dark wooden edging round it with a headboard, supposedly to make it look 'proper'. Looking around, Kai noticed that all the wood in the room was the same deep mahogany.

'This room is amazing..' he thought to himself. And that was before he'd noticed that the lucky Chinese boy also had his own en-suite bathroom too, well a toilet and sink anyway. The wall that Rei's bed was against had pictures of family, friends, tigers and cats plastered all over it, while the wall opposite was home to a set of mahogany shelves that held about 20 martial arts trophies between them, the surrounding wall covered in certificates and photographs of Rei receiving his prizes. Needless to say, Kai was spellbound. The younger teens had apparently noticed and were quietly giggling at him.

"Like my room?" The neko smirked at the blunette, who nodded, his eyes once more casting a fascinated gaze around the room. "Yeah, thought so."

"I…" Kai wasn't sure what he was even going to say, but he felt that complimenting the cat was a must. "I've… My flat is nothing compared to this."

A look of confusion settled over the three younger teens. "Your flat?" The brown-eyed boy asked. "I thought you said…" Kai shook his head and explained.

"I have a flat, I'm just not allowed there since being relocated." But, this wasn't enough for the boys. The blond spoke up this time.

"If you were relocated then you'd have somewhere to stay…" A single glare from Kai and the voice stopped. The boy seemed to reduce in size as he moved himself in between Rei and Tyson, who both smirked.

"I have nowhere to go." Crimson eyes made their point clear to the quivering green ones before him, whose owner nodded.

"Sorry." Was his quiet, shaky reply. It seemed that Tyson was about to launch into a lecture about keeping out of people's personal lives, but was interrupted by a knock from below their feet. Rei went over to the hatch, yanked it open and let his ladder down. The dark-hair of Rei's mother appeared, and she pulled herself up into her son's bedroom, carrying a small green bag. Once inside, she smiled at the four boys stood in front of her.

"Your food will be ready soon." She then gasped and looked annoyed at Rei. "You're still in your wet clothes!" And she was perfectly right. Golden eyes looked guiltily back at the indignant expression on the woman's face. "Get changed." She demanded. "And get some clothes for your friends if they didn't bring any with them." Her harsh look and tone softened as she turned to Kai. "I've brought up a first aid kit if you need to put anything on your cuts." She smiled, handing the green bag to the slightly embarrassed teenager, then left. As Kai turned around in search of his bag and some dry clothes, his heart skipped a beat. _Rei was topless._

"Wow…" He breathed, accidentally out loud. The other three teens all exchanged smirking glances. Kai felt the sweat on his hands. He picked up his bag and sat down, back facing the others. He couldn't believe he'd just done that. Now facing away from his peers, Kai flushed red. 'What a _stupid_ thing to do.' He didn't dare look behind him, though he wouldn't have minded seeing the cat free of _all_ his wet clothes. Trying to push the image of a certain topless neko-jin from his mind, Kai was oblivious to the fact that he too was being watched as he removed his wet clothes, until he heard simultaneous gasps. Angry crimson eyes glared up from underneath the slate hair to the three teens, staring down at him.

"Your, erm…" Rei tried to ignore the fierce glower from Kai. "Your cuts look pretty bad."

'Crap.' He hadn't thought about the fact that the others would see. He was _covered_ in bruises, cuts and almost-dry blood. Ignoring the comment from his cat, Kai quickly pulled a dry t-shirt on to stop the boys from looking at the wounds… _His_ cat? He wished.

"Kai, man, seriously." This time it was Tyson that spoke – his voice had a slight touch of concern. Since when did people _care_ about him? "I think you should at least look, if not let us help you." Although wishing he'd shut up, Kai realised that the navy-haired teen made a good point. "I mean, that's why you came here isn't it? You needed a place to crash – You needed our help?" … A _very_ good point.

"Yes." Kai muttered quietly, thinking. He was damn glad that they'd been there to give him somewhere to sleep that was safe and warm, and that they'd been so nice to him, despite his attitude toward them… He was even glad that he was a complete lunatic and heard voices, otherwise he'd never have found the trio. After rolling all these thoughts around in his head, Kai looked up and noticed the full-length mirror.

"There's some really deep ones on your shoulders…" Max spoke quietly, obviously still feeling a little threatened by the vicious manner of the blunette.

"Right…" He had to face it. Re-stripping his fresh t-shirt, Kai walked apprehensively toward the mirror. His reflection had never been his strong point, the teen had always hated what he saw. His peers were quite right though. "Fuck." He whispered, seeing his black and blue blood-stained body. Upon seeing his injuries, Kai felt the strong, sore aching surge through him, the pain he'd been trying to ignore.

"Kai?" Turning his head, he saw sympathetic golden eyes. After looking into them for a few short seconds, the rest of Rei came into focus. He was holding out a tube of cream for the blunette. Taking it, Kai nodded his appreciation. He was about to apply some, before feeling the wounds on the lower half of his body crying out to him for attention. He winced in pain and stumbled slightly, remembering how he'd been kicked in the shins.

"There's a few on my legs too." Kai explained his wince, then nodded pointedly at the bathroom. The neko nodded, understanding. Grabbing some dry underwear and jeans from his bag, the blunette wandered into the blue & white tiled en-suite, closing the door behind him. Completely stripped of his clothes, Kai sat on the fluffy dark blue rug that covered shiny mahogany floor boards, and began to run the cold, soothing cream into his many cuts. He wouldn't have minded having a shower, but seeing as he hadn't known Rei long – and the fact he'd have to clamber down the ladder to the main house – he decided against asking.

Finishing off with the cream, he pulled his underwear and black jeans on, then stood up. He'd forgotten to take the first aid kit into the bathroom with him, but felt he could do with a bandage covering an exceptionally deep cut on his shoulder where the straps of his bag had dug in when the muggers were trying to take it. He collected up his wet clothes and opened the door, to see Tyson and Max holding a large, hard-looking cushion between them, while Rei – still topless – was practicing his martial arts. Kai watched for a bit, staring at the sleek body of his golden-eyed crush, until the trio saw him.

"Feeling any better?" Spoke said crush, surprisingly not out of breath. Kai nodded.

"Can you bandage that?" The blunette asked, rolling his head toward his shoulder. Eyes fixing worriedly upon the exceptionally deep wound, still leaking a little blood, the neko-jin gave his silent reply of walking straight over to the first aid bag and scuffling around for a bandage. "Thanks." Kai sat at the mahogany desk beside him and scanned the photographs. 'The guy sure has a lot of friends…' He thought, looking from picture to picture as there was always at least one new person in each. "Ow!" Kai's hand just missed Rei as he flung it protectively over his shoulder, glaring at whatever happened to be in his line of sight.

"Sorry, I'll be more gentle." The instant reply made the blunette feel guilty, he hadn't meant to frighten the boy. Moving his hand out of the way, he let Rei carry on, cringing occasionally as the pain shocked him. "Done." Inspecting the bandage in the mirror, Kai was happy with what he saw, so pulled his t-shirt on again.

"Thanks Rei… I didn't mean to snap." The cat laughed at Kai's almost-apology.

"It's okay. I guess food should be ready now, let's go down."

"Yes! Food!" Tyson was through the hatch and down the ladder before Rei had even finished his sentence, and was closely followed by Max. Smirking, the other two teens followed.

"Hungry?" The neko asked. Kai nodded.

"Haven't eaten anything since you _saw_ me eat this morning." The older boy replied. This statement made the amber eyes widen slightly. Rei stopped walking and crimson met gold.

"You should have said, I could have gotten you something earlier." He told the slightly surprised Russian; whose only reply was a shrug. Sighing, the younger teen continued toward the kitchen, watched with desire by his elder, who followed closely behind.

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	8. Disturbing Voices

**Warning** : Strong language, violence & M/M

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Beyblade or any of the characters. The characters you do not recognise are mine and are not to be stolen/used in any story other than my own.

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Despite being in a warm, comfy bed right next to Rei's, Kai couldn't sleep. Tomorrow was the day that something would happen, he knew it. Glancing sideways at the peaceful neko-jin, he wished he could cuddle up to him and hold him close to protect him, just in case. Now that he knew the feelings he had for the cat were real, the blunette was _not_ prepared to have to let go. All he wanted now was to be closer, much closer.

'He's so beautiful. The hair, the eyes, the slim, sleek figure… The wonderful personality.' Kai sighed. "You won't get hurt Rei. I promise." He muttered, then rolled onto his side and closed his eyes, trying to sleep.

"Get hurt?" He didn't know that the cat had been awake and had head him. Kai quickly but quietly turned and looked intently into the perplexed golden eyes.

"Go back to sleep Rei." He sighed, unknowingly casting a loving pout over the neko-jin; but apparently the younger teen noticed the subliminal feeling in the blunette's words.

"Kai…" He whispered, sighing deeply. "What do you mean 'get hurt'? How am I going to get hurt?"

"You aren't going to get hurt." The crimson eyes held sympathy for the boy, Rei would never get back to sleep now. 'He looks so worried… Scared, even.' Kai noted. He closed his eyes in thought, wishing he could think of something, anything, to stop the teen from looking so upset. The bad thoughts stopped suddenly as Kai felt a warmth curl up against him. Opening one eye, all he could see was black hair, so closed it again and gently wrapped an arm around the small waist of his cat. Upon doing this, Rei wriggled closer and slid his own arms around the larger, stronger body of the elder teen that lay beside him.

"Don't let me get hurt Kai." The boy whispered. "And don't let anyone hurt you either." The obvious fear in the cat's voice made Kai open his eyes and look down at the younger teen in his arms. Tears blurred the deep amber eyes and his lip quivered. The blunette immediately pulled the frightened boy into his arms and held him close, letting his eyes slip shut. He'd obviously lost someone before.

"I'll look after you. You heard what I said – You won't get hurt Rei. I promise." As the last word was spoken, Kai felt warm, soft lips press gently against his own and instinctively held his neko-jin tighter. Their kiss only lasted for a sweet second, but it was something that would stay with the blunette for the rest of his life. Cuddled up close, Kai leant back down toward Rei and pushed his lips onto those of the other teen. Rei responded by gripping his arms tightly around Kai's back and opening his mouth, granting the blunette 'access to all areas'. Said blunette pushed himself up so he was leaning over the younger boy, then slid his tongue through Rei's parted lips, making the neko breathe slightly heavier. Just as the kiss was deepening, an irate voice tore the two apart – Max.

"Could you _not_ do that when there are other people in the room?" The little blond glared his hardest, which, to be fair, wasn't very threatening. From a bed the other side of Max's, a tired groan soon shut the blond up.

"Go back to sleep Max. Leave Rei and Kai to make out. It's none of our business if they thought we were asleep."

"_You_ try sleeping next to this!"

"Fine." Came the unbothered reply. "Switch." The navy-haired teen crawled from his own bed to Max's, who edged away from the surprised couple to where Tyson had been sleeping. The blond hair was soon immersed in blankets, removing him from view. Tired brown eyes looked up at crimson and gold and smirked. "Who's to keep my best friend from _finally_ showing his feelings to the guy of his dreams?" With a sly wink to his friend, Tyson lay his head down on the pillow and seemed to fall straight to sleep.

"Maybe we should just sleep now." Whispered the blushing cat. Kai smirked and nodded once, giving his love a last goodnight peck. They lay down together and cuddled, sighing simultaneously. "Goodnight Kai."

"Night Rei."

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Kai woke up, cold. He reached for his neko-jin, but he wasn't there… Nor either of the others. He sat bolt upright and his breath caught in his throat.

"FUCK!"

He leapt to his feet and his crimson eyes darted around him.

"This can't be happening! Not now! Not when I was finally happy!"

"Calm down Kai…" It was that voice again. That voice with no owner.

"Leave me alone!"

Kai ran. He didn't know where he was running to because to didn't know where he was. All that surrounded him was the wide expanse of green grass, a thick forest in the distance, and a couple of buildings… He stopped running. He knew where he was.

"Why am I here?"

The school. Kai didn't want to be at the school! He wanted to be curled up in a warm bed beside Rei.

"Rei!"

His breathing wouldn't slow down. How the hell would he get back to his cat from there? – 'How the fuck did I get here?' Useless thoughts whirred around his mind, making him feel dizzy, too dizzy. In a fit of desperation, Kai tried to call out to someone, anyone, but he could no longer find his voice. Falling to his knees he could feel panic rising through him, and before he could do anything about it, he leant forward and was sick, choking and spluttering through blood and tears… Blood?

"You did it yourself…" Kai again tried to scream for help as that voice rang out loud all around him, again to no avail. His wrist was cut and bleeding. _He hadn't done that. He wouldn't do that to himself._ He was cold, shivering and helpless. Just another scared teenager alone in the world. "Alone in the world with no one…" _That voice!_

"Leave me alone!" Kai whispered, crying inconsolably. He tried to stand up but his legs wouldn't work, he felt so sick.

"You _are_ alone…" That teasing whisper seemed so loud. Kai covered his ears and shook his head, somehow thinking he could get rid of the voice. "Alone with no one… You live alone, you will die alone and nobody will mourn you."

"NO!" Kai suddenly found his voice and screamed as loud as he could. "You will not ruin my life! I will not die alone!"

"There's nobody here to save you Kai… Run." The blunette needed no further instruction. He climbed unsteadily to his feet and sprinted toward the school buildings, praying for someone to be there. Nearing the gates he could see the sky getting lighter. He wished it wasn't dark. He couldn't stand it anymore.

"Poor boy. Scared of the dark."

"Fucking leave me alone!" He ran faster, screaming in despondency, anguish ripping him apart. He was so close to the gates, so close. 'Nearly there… Nearly there…' Kai knew that he was running from something he could never be rid of, but he still just had to reach those gates. 'Just a little bit farther… Nearly there Kai. Come on.' Looking straight ahead and not at the floor, he tripped. He collided roughly with the damp ground, grazing his hands and face, knocking the wind from his lungs. He couldn't do it, he couldn't get back up. He couldn't carry on. 'You can do it Kai. You're nearly there…'

"You'll never make it." The eerie whisper snaked its ways through the teen's mind, thrashing all his optimistic thoughts. "You will die alone."

Kai dragged himself back onto his feet and tried to breathe. He made for the gates, racing away as fast as his battered legs and weary lungs would let him. Reaching out to open the gate, he fell, unable to cope with the tire any longer.

"So you give up… I knew you were weak, Kai Hiwatari." That was the last thing Kai heard before slipping away into an unconscious mess.

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"Kai?" He recognised that voice.

"Come on pal." That one too. Rei and Tyson. Rei… He groaned.

"Oh Kai you're awake!"

"What the hell happened to you?"

"Back off lads, let him breathe." That… No. It couldn't be… Could it? Moaning in pain, Kai opened one drained crimson eye, lacking it's usual sarcastic glimmer. Seeing the dark grey hair and the usually-cold grey eyes, today with a slight hint of care, the blunette let his other eye sidle open.

"Irika?" He was so confused. Especially when she smiled.

"Hey kid. Everyone's been frantic, we thought you'd gone back to your flat, the whole street was searching for you. The hotel manager said you'd left without a trace a couple of days ago… I honestly thought you'd done a runner." She smirked. Not her usual cold, heartless playing smirk, but a soft one. She had actually been worried. On hearing a quiet sniff from beside him, Kai turned his head toward the noise and realised that he was in a hospital bed. He smiled up at the exhausted-looking neko-jin that was sitting by his side, a seemingly equally as knackered younger blunette sitting behind, a reassuring hand on his friend's arm.

"Kai…" The cat reached out and touched Kai's face with two soft fingers, stroking. The slate-haired teen opened his arms and soon wrapped around, to his surprise, both Rei _and_ Tyson.

"Man, we were so worried!" The latter cried out, squashing his elder slightly. Kai had to smile, he'd never had friends before. Now he had three people sitting around him, all happy to know he was okay. And the people of his _whole street_ had done a search to find him – Though it was only a small road, that was something big to him.

"How… The school…" Kai remembered waking up on the school field, but he didn't understand how that was possible. He would have needed to get a train and a bus to get to his school from Rei's house…

"We don't know." Irika replied to his confusion with her own. "But that doesn't matter right now Kai… How're you feeling?"

"A bit crushed." The cuts and bruises across his torso suddenly heaved a sigh of relief as the two younger teens let go of their friend, looking slightly sheepish.

"Sorry…"

"Sorry man."

Smirking at his new-found friends, his first ever real friends, Kai answered. "I feel fine. A little tired, but I'm good." Rei and Tyson grinned happily at this, while Irika smiled contentedly. Looking from Rei to Tyson, then back again, a question struck the blunette. "Hey, where's Max?" A small squeak came from the corner of the room and the blond slowly walked over, looking very apologetic and upset.

"Hi Kai. I'm sorry for telling you off… I… I… Felt so b-bad when you w-were g-g-gone!" Max burst into tears and had to leave the room, leaving everyone else in a state of shock. Kai sighed, then chuckled. The other three looked at him in confusion.

"Telling me off?" Rei and Tyson laughed with Kai as Irika got to her feet.

"I'll leave you guys alone… Go and let the others know you're alright." She smiled, then her eyes turned cold and expressionless as she put up her well known front again. Kai smirked, he didn't realise she had a heart, but then… That's probably what people thought about him too. Tyson walked round the bed and took Irika's seat, then watched, smiling as his best friend was reunited with his love.

"Want some time alone together?" He asked. Although he was smiling, Kai could sense the slight rejection in the younger blunette's voice. The crimson eyed boy shook his head.

"You're my friend too, now." That settled everything. Kai took Rei's hand in one of his, and Tyson's hand in the other, so glad for the company he had. Both of the teens hugged him again, Rei holding him tightly while Tyson casually leant on the elder boy, not letting go of his hand. Kai kissed Rei's forehead, then absentmindedly leant over and kissed Tyson's too. It came as a surprise to both the blunettes, who laughed. Rei giggled at them, then closed his eyes, happy to have his love back. Kai closed his eyes too, he felt so peaceful. Sighing, he was just about to fall asleep when he it, just a whisper. A wonderful warmth flushed all the way through him.

"I love you Kai."

"I love you too Rei." He whispered back. Tyson gripped his hand tightly and was obviously squirming at the cuteness of his two friends. He couldn't keep it in any longer :

"I love you both!" Laughing once more before the three settled down, all leaning on each other, Kai was glad for Tyson being there too. He loved the guy, absolutely loved him. Not the same love he felt for Rei, but another new feeling that he'd never felt before – Tyson was a friend. A real friend. Everything was perfect.

"Love you too Ty." Kai smirked, then finally drifted off into a peaceful, happy sleep.

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	9. Curiosity Killed The Cat

**NOTE :** This chapter may actually _disturb_ some people. If you have a weak stomach, _don't read it_.

**Warning** : Strong language, violence & M/M

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Beyblade or any of the characters. The characters you do not recognise are mine and are not to be stolen/used in any story other than my own.

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"Today's the day… I have to be careful. I'm ready for anything. Nothing can happen to me here… I have Rei with me. I can protect him here. And I have Tyson and Max… Everything will be fine." Kai had been muttering to himself for the past two hours, just waiting for some bad news. He had refused to let his friends leave, even for a drink. The three of them were getting restless, hungry, thirsty, and utterly confused by their friend's murmurs. Tyson signalled to Rei that he was going to get some food, then the elder blunette spoke up. "Tyson sit down." Kai was glaring at him.

"Aww man! Kai, you can't keep us locked up in here for the whole day!" The navy-haired teen's stomach spoke up too, growling loudly. Rei walked over and sat on the edge of the blunette's bed and stroked his hair.

"What's wrong with you?" Throughout the two hours of mumblings from the elder teen, the three younger boys had noticed that the crimson eyes would glaze over and Kai would occasionally rock back and forth gently, staring at nothing. Doing this, he looked like something from a horror film. Rei and Tyson had exchanged wary glances, while Max had had to look away altogether.

The silence was broken by a nurse bustling in through the door. She was a short, stout, happy redheaded woman that had taken it upon herself to look after all four boys during the day, so of course, Tyson was ecstatic when he saw her bring a plate of sandwiches and jugs of juice. After placing the tray on the table, she moved over to her patient and checked his temperature with the back of her hand. Once satisfied that Kai felt okay, she smiled widely at the other lads – who had already started the food – and left the room.

"D'ya want some food Kai?" Tyson asked the glaring teen in front of him. "… Kai?" After hearing no answer, the cat and the blond turned to their friend as well.

"Kai?"

"He's completely out of it."

"Shut up Tyson… Kai, come on… Talk."

"He's freaking me out."

"Don't be such a baby. He's just a bit… Spaced out."

Kai wasn't listening to the three teens. He was completely lost in thought, in his own little dream world, and jumped when Rei touched him.

"Kai… We've got some food now." He wrapped a protective arm around the slate-haired teen. "Are you hungry?"

"Oh… Yeah. Thanks." Max took him the plate of sandwiches, while Tyson poured him a drink. Rei just sat and cuddled his beloved. 'Stuff's going to be okay…' Kai kept telling himself, though he wasn't really sure if _he_ believed it. He held onto to the neko-jin's arm that was round him, and sighed. As long as he kept those three safe, everything would be fine…

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'_Welcome to the News-at-midday.'_ The voice lingered in the air as Kai turned up the television. He was sat up in his hospital bed, sipping at a cup of water, concentrating hard on the TV. He hadn't gone to school since he was still in shock and pretty confused about how he'd ended up there in the first place, but he had kissed Rei goodbye and given Tyson his last sandwich, so that had made him feel good.

'_Breaking news!'_ The presenter screamed. _'A teenage boy was found dead on the school field while the students were on their lunch break just fifteen minutes ago…'_

Kai's eyes practically burst in his sockets as the face of the deceased loomed on to the screen. "Ozuma…" he breathed, his voice catching slightly in his throat. One of the boys who always annoyed and picked on Kai at school, right from when they were young. Although the blunette hated the older teen, _damn_ was he shocked.

"Serves him right…"

"NO!" Kai shouted as loud as he possibly could as he heard that too-familiar voice. "Leave me alone!"

"You know who's next, don't you Kai?"

He didn't want to answer. But he needed to know. "Who." It wasn't even a question, it was a demand – If he knew, he could help.

"They always say it… You know it's true…"

"Stop it. Just tell me." Silence followed. The blunette waited impatiently until he heard it. That phrase that would haunt his mind until he knew the person in question was safe. That horrible, eerie whisper…

"Curiosity killed the cat."

The voice was laughing, cackling at Kai's dismay, but the teen was nowhere to be found. He'd already left the hospital room through the window and was now shinning down the drainpipe. He _had_ to get to Rei, before it was too late. His feet hit the floor and he ran out toward the road, he didn't know which direction the school was in, but hopefully some road signs would give him a clue.

Reaching the road's edge, he looked at the T-junction in front of him. "Left or right..?" He asked himself, searching for a signpost. He guessed at 'left' and sprinted up the long, straight road. He was worn out when he approached the top of the hill, but knew he'd be able to see a hell of a lot once he was there, so carried on, dragging his feet. Once at the peak, he gazed around and was happy to see he had been going in the right direction but the happiness soon disappeared as he stared down at the scene below.

"What the…?" There were police cars and ambulances surrounding the buildings and field; he knew that a student was dead but… All that? He began to run again, he had to get there and warn Rei. 'But the hell can I warn him about something when I don't even know what's going on?' Kai scolded himself for his negative thoughts, even though his positive ones weren't much use in his situation. He could feel the cold wind tugging at his hair and clothes, the slaps of light rain on his face, the sound of sirens behind him, the... 'Behind me?'

"Stop right there!" Kai came to a skidding halt as a police car pulled up beside him, both officers dashing through their doors to stand in front of the teenager. "You're coming with us." One of them stated.

"What?" Kai didn't understand. Going with them where?

"In. Now." The second officer held a door open for the teen to climb in, but said teen just stood and glared at both police men.

"I have to get to the school."

"You're going nowhere Hiwatari. In."

"OI!"

The officials shouted after the boy as he left the road and ran cross-country over the farming land toward his destination. 'Well done Kai… Now you're in deep shit.' The blunette reprimanded himself sarcastically. He didn't care though, all that was on his mind was getting to Rei before whatever that voice was did.

At the back entrance to the school, Kai waited for a clear run so he could get in. He was breathing heavily from his trek – After being unconscious in hospital, his stamina and endurance weren't exactly up to scratch. He carefully rounded a corner and had perfect view of the drama at the other end of the field.

Ozuma's body was covered by a white sheet, blue and white police tape staked to the ground in a square around it. Kai shuddered; despite all the strange happenings, this was definitely the most disturbing, not to mention _gross_. Apparently the boy's neck had been broken from being twisted, causing his bones to rip through the flesh, and were now protruding from either side of his throat, surrounded by torn skin, deep reddy-brown from the dried blood. He had also been stabbed in the stomach, which had ripped and soon become infected from the germs on the weapon, making the bleeding tissue become smudged with pus. There weren't even any fingerprints or evidence of how it had happened, or who had done the disgusting deed. The last thing that Kai wanted was for his neko-jin to end up the same way, so he had to act quickly.

Edging round the buildings, Kai decided, looked quite suspicious, so he simply legged it across the green instead. A lot of curious students were watching the 'event' as inspectors were investigating the surrounding area and questioning people. Nearing this scene, everyone turned their gaze toward the fast approaching teenager, and the police immediately stiffened upon seeing him. The boy's crimson eyes were searching the crowd for his friends, knowing he had to protect them, but from _what_ exactly, he didn't know. Slowing up to a hasty walk, Kai glared at the police as he walked directly past them toward the beautiful golden eyes that were now directly in front of him. The cat had obviously seen him racing across the field and had pushed his way to the front of the swarm of anxious students. Tyson, Max and Helena were with him, all looking thoroughly confused.

"Kai!" He called out as the blunette approached. "Kai, what are you doing here?"

To everyone's surprise, including the policemen, the crimson eyes suddenly overflowed with tears as their owner collapsed into the cat's arms. Tyson and Helena instantly tried to comfort their friend, while the rest of the people just looked on in wonder. Kai was pretty annoyed at himself, that wasn't what he had meant to do. He'd thought everything out in his head, he was going to explain to Rei what was happening to him and hope that he'd believe him… Breaking down in a very pathetic display of emotion was _not_ part of his plan. He straightened himself up and wiped his eyes, glaring harshly at the on-lookers, then back down into his love's beautiful, perfect yellow eyes.

"We have to get out of here." He whispered. Rei heard, raising his brow. Apparently Tyson had heard too.

"What do you mean?" The younger blunette asked, an obvious look of fear on his face at Kai's callous glare that he was directing to the police officers, who were slowly closing in on the elder teen.

"I mean, Tyson, that you, Rei and Helena have to come with me. Now." With that, he took hold of the younger teens' wrists and pulled them away from the crowd, hastily followed by the lilac-haired girl, who took hold of Tyson's hand as they were dragged away.

"Stop right there!" Kai surged forward as they heard the police chasing behind them.

"Kai… What the hell is going on man? Why are they chasing you?" After hurtling round a corner and coming face to face with the locked glass doors of the school, Tyson was getting a little agitated. Of the three younger teens, _none_ of them understood, none of them wanted to be in trouble with the authorities, but none of them stopped their blunette friend when he side-kicked the glass in the doors and charged through, pulling the others with him. They headed straight for the stairs.

"Kai…" Rei placed a hand on his love's shoulder once the crimson-eyed teen had finally come to a stop in a small, dark room on the top floor of the three-storey building. "Kai, come on… What's going on?"

"Rei," Kai turned to face his cat and held him tightly. "I promised I wouldn't let anything hurt you, and I know something is going to happen today. I don't know how, and I don't know why. But what I do know, is that _you_ are in danger. So you are staying with me, wherever I might go… Or you could end up like Ozuma"

Seemingly, that wasn't what the three younger teens were expecting to hear. Kai held protectively onto Rei, not letting him go. The neko cuddled his blunette boy, cat eyes wide with shock, his heart beating fast.

"P… P… Pard-don?" Was Tyson's stunned reply. Kai sighed, closing his eyes. He rested his head on Rei's shoulder, his arms around the cat's slim waist.

"Don't worry Tyson. Nothing will harm you. _Any_ of you." Just as these words escaped his lips, the door slammed shut and they evaporated into the darkness. Four intakes of breath echoed around the dank, dark room, followed by a shrill scream.

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	10. We Did It Together

**Warning** : Strong language, violence & M/M

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Beyblade or any of the characters. The characters you do not recognise are mine and are not to be stolen/used in any story other than my own.

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The voices inside Kai's head were screaming. How could he have been so stupid? Lead them somewhere that secluded, anything could have happened, something _did_ happen. All he had heard was Helena's scream before being hit hard across the back of the head and trying to stay awake as he felt Rei being pulled away from him, shouting for help. The blunette had battled with his consciousness but he had failed, and by the time he'd come round, his friends were gone and he was trapped behind the locked door. He'd sat in the corner of the room and cried helplessly, 'How could I have been so _stupid_?'.

There was nothing he could do. His had put his friends in danger instead of saving them, and now… They were gone. Possibly forever. He put his head into his hands and felt the cold of his tears as they hit the motionless figure of his body. There was no way out of the room, he would die; he didn't care about that though. Death would be welcomed, he'd even help it as it took it's toll on him – What was the point of living now? He'd effectively handed his only three friends over to some maniac murderer – Technically, he had killed them, and he wasn't going to forgive himself. The door frame had eight splintered slashes down one side, showing that Rei had put up a struggling fight. As he studied these marks, from the corner of his eye he saw Tyson's hat on the floor… Stained with blood. Kai crawled over to it and sat with it, holding it in his hand. Inside, Kai was aching from crying, but on the outside his tears wouldn't flow anymore, since he had cried himself dry. He slowly lifted the cap over his hair, feeling his heart rip at the thought of the innocent teens and their fate.

Hugging his knees and resting his head on them, Kai just wanted his fate to over take him. 'Just let it end now.' He whimpered, his crimson eyes stinging. "Please." He wanted to cry, but knew that he couldn't, so held onto Tyson's hat instead, hoping this would comfort him. It didn't – It made him worse.

"Oh Kai… What have you done?"

"No!"

"You've killed your friends."

"I didn't! _You_ killed them!"

"Face it Kai… You killed your friends, just like you killed Ozuma…"

"I did _not_ kill him!"

The eerie cackle that Kai knew oh-too-well voiced itself, making the hairs on the back of the blunette's neck stand up and a shiver ran down his spine.

"If you didn't kill Ozuma then who did Kai? You did it to get revenge. Just like you burned the school."

Kai's eyes widened. "Like I burned the school?"

"Yes Kai. You burned the school. You and me. We did it together. And we killed Ozuma… He always got to you. He broke through that shell and he _hurt_ you, didn't he Kai? So you got your revenge, _oh yes_, and you did it well."

Kai gripped Tyson's hat, ripping it off his head and holding it to his chest. 'I didn't.. I couldn't..'

"You could, and you did."

Kai jumped at the voice. "You… You can read my thoughts?"

The cackle sounded again, causing the confused teen to flinch. "Oh Kai. I _am_ your thoughts. How could you not have figured this out?" Confused and afraid crimson orbs searched the room for the speaker. How he hoped this was some kind of sick joke. If it was, it really wasn't funny. "Think about it Kai. That teacher annoyed you… You got your revenge by burning her place of work… Did you ever wonder where your cigarette lighter disappeared to? You dropped it into the flames so that it would cause an explosion… Ever wonder where you got those keys? Yes Kai… Those keys to the offices. You were supposed to take the money, but you didn't listen to me. You just took a picture of your pretty cat boy instead. Because you didn't listen to me, I thought I'd give you a scare and talk to you when you were awake in the hotel… My plan worked perfectly. You left and got hurt, and I led you to safety…"

Kai couldn't believe what he was hearing. Stupidly, it made sense. "How can you explain my neighbour's fire? And the other schools that aren't anywhere near me?" The teen whispered his questions, not really sure if he wanted to hear the answers.

"That was you Kai. The morning after another school fire and where did you wake up? You weren't in bed, were you? … And you're so easy to take over." The voice laughed again. "You don't even notice when I manipulate you, I did your homework for you, I know that you would have taken too long and we wouldn't have had time to burn your neighbour's flat before the sun rose. Oh yes Kai, you are so easy. You played along with my plans perfectly – I knew you would want some fresh air."

Kai felt water on his face. He had obviously found enough liquid in his system for the tears to return. He had done it. He had done everything. "And this is what you meant by three days…" He muttered quietly through his tears. "Three days until you struck again."

"Until _we_ struck again. We're in this together Kai."

"But I never wanted to be a part of this! I didn't ask for this! Why _me_?" He screamed to the air, sobbing helplessly. "Where is Rei? And Tyson and Helena?"

"You know where they are!" The voice replied with an angry growl. "I chose you Kai, I chose you because you are so easy to use!"

"I'm not a fucking puppet!" Kai stood up, shrieking at the voice. He cried out, running his friend's bloodied cap through his hands, steams of water staining his face, smudging his triangles. "_Where are they_?" He threatened.

"You know exactly where they are."

The blunette was about to protest when he realised that he did know.

"See, Kai? You and I are the same person. What I know, you know. What you know, I know." Kai was silent. His friends were downstairs, they were locked in another room… He gasped. "That's right Kai… They're locked in a room that you set fire to… Your little navy-haired friend Tyson is very useful, isn't he? Taking matches with him everywhere… How clever."

Kai punched the wall, breaking his knuckles. He shouted out in pain, then did it again. "STOP IT!" He screamed, punching the wall for a third time against his will.

"You want to go and save your friends? Or will you let someone else do it… You know who is next, don't you?"

"No!"

"Oh yes, Kai. He has gotten in the way of my plans, and I can't afford to let him _screw_ things up."

"Don't make me do it. _I won't let you_!"

"He's burning in the fire Kai… Either you go now and put him out of his misery or you let him burn to death. Is that what you want?" Silence. "Right then. You have the keys… So let's go."

Kai dug his hand into his pocket and almost fainted. The key to the locked door was right there. He held it out in his palm and stared with fearful eyes. He felt himself being dragged toward the door and the key slid into the lock.

"NOW KAI! Unless _you_ want to be your next victim!"

Once the door was open, the blunette staggered out into the corridor and sprinted unsteadily toward the stairs. He had to cling to the banisters to stop himself from flying headfirst down them as he ran. Round corners, through corridors, down stairs, round another corner… Smoke was leaking out from under the door in front of him. Kai fumbled for the key and shoved it into the keyhole. As he did so, he heard screams for help from the other side of the door. As soon as he had turned the lock, the door was flung open, and three choking teenagers stumbled out into the corridor, gasping for breath.

"Run."

Crimson eyes stared down at his friends as tears poured from them. The three jumped in shock as they heard the voice, the voice of someone they thought was their friend, but had in fact tried to kill them.

"Kai… What the fuck?" The youngest of the three glared up at the crying slate-haired teen… Holding _his_ cap.

"Tyson, just _run_!" Kai screamed back, terror slinking it's way through his veins. "_Please_ _run_."

As Kai sobbed his words, a fist connected with his face. Losing his balance from the force, he ended up on the floor. He wiped the blood from his jaw and stared up into the angry golden eyes.

"You're fucking crazy. Whatever we had is over."

"Rei…" Kai couldn't stand up. His heart was ripped to shreds. "Rei listen to me. This isn't my fault… I… You're right. I _am_ crazy. That's why you have to run. I can't…" Kai broke off his sentence, unable to talk anymore. It hurt so much. "Rei _I love you_."

"Aww, poor little Kai." The blunette jolted at hearing that voice. He looked pleadingly into the neko's eyes, knowing he couldn't hear that creepy whisper.

"Rei, get out of here. All of you. Send the police to find me… _RUN_!" The sudden anger in their former friend's voice made the three teens turn and flea.

"Go after them Kai."

"No… I'm… Turning… Myself… In." The boy sobbed into his knees as he curled up into a ball on the floor. "You can't _do_ this."

"I think you'll find I can. And I will. That little kitten won't know what hit it."

"His name is _REI_!"

"Kai, I don't care. All he'll be soon is a heap of blood and bones… And it's going to be _you_ who turns him into that."

"No. I won't." The troubled teen suddenly leapt to his feet and punched the glass in the door, it cracked. He punched it again, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. Picking one up, Kai held it to his throat. "I'm going to end all this."

"Kai!" The blunette stopped, holding his 'weapon' in place.

"Kai, no!"

Was that… Tyson? Slowly lifting his gaze, he saw the younger blunette running toward him with four police officers… And Rei. Nearing him, they all slowed up.

"OK Kai… Just lower the glass. You don't have to do this. We'll help you." One of the officers spoke calmly to him, treating him like a complete lunatic. Kai laughed inside. He _was_ a complete lunatic.

"Come on kid, it's alright. Nobody's going to hurt you. Just co-operate and everything will be fine."

Kai kept the glass poised at his neck, but let the officers and his treasured friends come near him. The policemen surrounded him as unthreateningly as they could manage while Rei and Tyson stood at the side, clinging onto each others' arms. One officer carefully reached for Kai's hand to try to remove the glass from it. Kai pulled away, pushing the glass into his neck. Rei and Tyson looked away, gripping each other as a tiny bit of blood trickled down from the cut. The policeman put his hand back down and stepped back.

"Alright Kai, it's okay. We can help you, but you have to let us."

"Please Kai…" The navy-haired teen spoke up, brave enough to look at him still digging the rough point into his neck. "Let them help you."

Very slowly, the officer tried again. The small group seemed to heave a huge sigh of relief as the man succeeded and the blunette lowered his hand, letting the glass drop to the floor. He raised his tearful crimson eyes so they were level with those of the official standing in front of him.

"You have to take me away." The officer nodded gently, as if letting Kai know that they would take him anyway, with or without consent. Kai looked back at the floor. "I killed Ozuma."

This, the crowd was not expecting. Kai continued. "And burnt down the school… And my neighbour's flat… And the other schools."

The officers all exchanged the same confused glances. The man Kai was talking to slowly nodded his head, sighing. "Why did you do that, Kai?"

"I don't know. I don't remember doing anything."

This confused everyone even more. "You… Don't remember?" Kai shook his head. "So… How do you know?"

Kai let out a sudden sob and collapsed to the floor. "It wasn't my fault!" He screamed. "I was made to do it!"

"Kai, calm down. Come on… We can help you. Can you come with us?"

Again, Kai shook his head and grabbed the glass that he had held beforehand and thrust it into his neck, pulling roughly to the side.

"NO!" Rei and Tyson shouted simultaneously, held back by two of the officers as they both leapt forward. "KAI!"

"I'm sorry…" The blunette choked on his own blood, tears streaming down the side of his face. "I can't live with what I've done… I…" He coughed, gasping for breath. "I don't want to live without…" He groaned, slowly fading away from everything. He felt someone take hold of his hand, and felt some water drip softly onto his cheek.

"Kai… Hold on. Please."

"You." Kai whispered, finishing his sentence, closing his eyes. The last thing he saw was those beautiful eyes that he had loved to look into, and the last thing he heard was the boy's voice.

Then he let go.

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	11. White Light & Loose Ends

**Warning** : Strong language, violence & M/M

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Beyblade or any of the characters. The characters you do not recognise are mine and are not to be stolen/used in any story other than my own.

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The last thing he saw was those beautiful eyes that he had loved to look into, and the last thing he heard was the boy's voice.

Then he let go.

Everything around him was white, then slowly came into vision. Rei was crying silently and Tyson… God, Tyson was bawling. They were holding onto each other, neither had seemed to notice that he was there. People were running towards him, paramedics? They kneeled next to somebody on the floor, but Kai couldn't see who. His vision was still a bit blurred. He walked over to his friends, hoping they were okay. He didn't know what was going on. "Rei? Tyson?" Neither looked at him. Maybe they hadn't heard because of the younger blunette's cries. The elder tried again louder. "Rei?... Ty?... You guys okay?" They still didn't react, not even slightly. Maybe they were ignoring him after what he'd done to them. He hadn't meant to do it. He loved those two with all his heart, if it weren't for that stupid voice, everything would have been fine. But now they needed him and he couldn't help them. "OW!" Kai grabbed at his ribs as he felt an electric shock jolt through him. He momentarily lost his vision. It happened again and his neck started to hurt. His vision was fast fading into darkness, he couldn't see. There was that shock again and his neck _really_ hurt. He groaned with pain and fell to the floor, completely blacking out with the immense pain. He could hear people… And Tyson had stopped crying.

"Come on… You're going to be alright soon little one."

"Good lad, just keep trying."

Kai didn't recognise the voices, but they sounded soft and welcoming. He suddenly coughed, choking on his tongue. He groaned, feeling so much pain.

"He's back!"

Kai listened, hearing sighs of relief around him. He slowly opened his eyes and was blinded by the bright light. A woman was sitting over him, smiling.

"Welcome back Kai."

He groaned, coughing some more. Every time he coughed it hurt his throat. He felt the woman tilt his head to the side, and it suddenly became a lot easier to breathe.

"Come on, let's get you to a hospital young man. We very nearly lost you." The woman smiled at him some more. Using all his strength, he managed a smile before fading back into his dreams.

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Kai opened his eyes and searched around the room he was in, it was all white. White walls, white bed, white curtains… The only colour in the room seemed to be the blood inside the drip that was connected to his arm. He was covered in bandages and couldn't move his neck because of it. He remembered his suicide attempt, and he remembered why he'd done it. Still, being alive was worth it, he had Rei back. Kai laughed softly, glancing to his side at the sleeping neko-jin, curled up in a chair. "Sorry Rei… I didn't mean to hurt you."

On hearing his love's voice, the cat stirred. "It's okay Kai. I know you didn't mean to. I can't believe I nearly lost you." He nuzzled Kai's cheek with his own and kissed it lightly. "I love you."

"I love you too Rei." The blunette kissed his neko and sighed. He wasn't happy that he was alive after everything that had happened, but he was happy to have the dark-haired teen back in his arms. "How's Tyson?"

"He's fine. He's still freaked, but he's alright… How are _you_ feeling?" Amber eyes gazed lovingly into Kai's crimson ones and sent a rush of calm through his aching body.

"I'm okay… I'm glad that everything has stopped."

"Yeah, me too." The neko-jin cuddled up to him and wrapped his arms around the blunette's back. "It's so good to see you awake." Kai carefully leant down and planted a gentle kiss on the cat's head, closing his eyes. Since successfully killing himself, the voice inside his head appeared to have gone, which he was ecstatic about. Perhaps now he could lead a normal life… In prison. He hadn't been told this yet, but it was obvious. He'd murdered someone and endangered many other lives, of _course_ he was going to jail. He just hoped they'd let him say goodbye to Rei and Tyson first. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock, then the door opened to reveal two doctors and a youngish woman with flowing locks of silvery white hair, tinged slightly blue. She had ice blue eyes and a wide, friendly smile. Kai and Rei looked up at her, Rei sitting back into his hair as the woman approached.

"Hello Kai. How are you feeling this afternoon?" She beamed down at him, her pink lips curved prettily giving her such a pleasant expression. Kai smiled back, it was only polite.

"I'm okay thank you." He replied, slightly inwardly. He didn't know who this woman was, but she had a way of speaking that just calmed every muscle in his body.

"My name is Tifa Locke. I'm from the Board of Mental Health and Stability, I'd like to chat with you for a while, if that's okay?" Kai laughed inside. Of course, he wouldn't go to prison… He'd go to the _mad house_. He nodded, trying not to smirk at the irony. She smiled and sat on a chair the other side of his bed, pulling a notepad and pen from her bag. Rei sighed and stood up, giving the elder teen a quick peck on the lips before he left with the doctors. Kai looked at the woman as she cleared her throat and wrote Kai's name on the paper of her pad.

"Do you want to know why I killed Ozuma? Because if you do I…" the young woman shook her head, interrupting him.

"No, Kai. I'd like to talk about you. Just you. Can you help me?" She smiled her pretty smile and the blunette nodded slowly, soon stopping as the movement hurt his neck. "Wonderful. Now, I've heard from your head teacher at school that you lived alone, why was that?" The warm pale blue of her eyes shone into his cool crimson ones as he sighed.

"I used to live with my grandfather, but he… He hurt me." Kai replied solemnly. Tifa tilted her head to the side, sympathy leaking through her perfect orbs of blue.

"How did he hurt you? What did he do?"

Kai stammered, then realised that she was here to help him. "He was strict. He wouldn't let me have any friends, and when I made a friend, he made sure that I drove them away. I bought a friend back from school once and… And he hit me."

"Your grandfather hit you? Is that why you ran away?" Kai nodded his reply, then winced.

'I've got to stop doing that…' He reminded himself. "Yes. I didn't want to be hurt any more. I'd already lost my parents, I was hurting enough from that." He explained to the woman as she took notes.

"I see. Were you happy living alone?"

"It was alright. Bit lonely at times, but I liked it." As she took notes, Tifa's crystal blue eyes flicked up and down, from Kai to her pad and back again. She nodded, looking a little confused.

"Hm, okay."

"My past has nothing to do with this situation." This slight outburst from the teenager seemed to shock the young woman. She raised her brow and gave him a sincere look, sighing deeply.

"Kai, your past determines who you are. It determines your future!" She calmed herself and continued. "And you may not think it is fair, but I'm sorry. Once you're fit and free to leave the hospital, you will have to come with me and my colleagues to a new home where we can keep an eye on you at all times. You must realise that this is the best thing for you."

The whole room was silent. Kai didn't know whether to laugh, scream or cry. Sure, living in an institute would probably be the best thing that ever happened to him. He'd be safe, he'd be happy, he'd have a social life, he'd never go hungry, he'd never have to sleep rough again… But he wouldn't have the one thing that was important to him.

"Do you know why I committed suicide?"

The crimson eyes locked onto those of the slender female before him. Slowly, she shook her head.

"It's because I didn't want to live a life without Rei. And if you shove me into some asylum, guess what I _won't_ have." The woman tried to talk, but the glare from the blunette kept her quiet. He spoke again. "If I can't have Rei in my life, then you may as well turn back time and leave me the way I wanted to be. At least if I was dead I'd be free… And not locked up in some _God forsaken FUCKING INSTITUTE!_"

Tifa looked terrified of the boy. The small room's door was suddenly flung open by two police officers who had heard the shouting. A doctor and nurse hastily followed.

"Doctor Locke! Are you alright?" The nurse stood by her side as she gave a swift nod and retook her seat, which she had leapt from on hearing the growling tone from her patient.

"Yes, thank you nurse. I'm okay. I've dealt with young ones like him before." She gave a soft but nervous laugh. The officers were glaring at Kai, not making him feel any better about his fate. He wished that they'd just left him alone in the school. Left him there to fade away as he'd hoped he would. Instead of going to heaven, now he was in _hell_.

"I want Rei." He growled quietly. All eyes turned to him.

"Pardon?" Asked his doctor politely.

"I. Want. Rei." He repeated angrily. "Now."

"Young Hiwatari…" The doctor laughed, a hint of apprehension playing with his voice. "I'm afraid you can't have any visitors. It's not within –"

The man's speech was cut off as fell to the floor, knocked out. Kai broke into a grin as he saw angry brown eyes, partly hidden by a streak of navy blue. The eyes in question belonged to a young teenager, who was holding a metal rod that looked like it had once been a chair leg. Behind said person was the most beautiful smile that the blunette had ever seen, surrounded by a perfect face, deep, sensual amber eyes and long, flowing locks of jet. Kai extended his hand forward and the two boys walked toward him, the younger of them waving his metal pole around threateningly until he had successfully made sure his peer had reached his destination : Kai.

"Heard you shouting for Rei. We were only down the hall." The dark-eyed boy explained, taking a seat on the hospital bed next to his elder.

"Tyson found a vending machine…" Rei chuckled, cuddling up to _his_ blunette. As if to prove this statement, Tyson pulled a few bags of crisps and some chocolate bars from his pockets and began to munch, offering some to the others, who heartily accepted. Kai couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten chocolate and it tasted great!

"Thanks. I really appreciate it." He smiled at his friends. 'Friends… _My_ friends… My _friends_.' He smirked at himself and took another bite from his chocolate bar.

"Give us a little time?" Tyson glared at the officers, swishing his weapon at them. Getting the less than subtle hint, both policemen backed out of the room, hesitantly followed by the nurse and Tifa, who obviously didn't want to leave them alone with someone she knew was completely insane. The navy blunette watched them exit, then turned back to see his best friends kissing… Heavily. "Aww, gimme a break guys! At least wait til I've left the room!"

The couple pulled back, laughing. Kai gave Tyson a fake glare and pushed him off the bed, smirking as he heard the 'thud.' Rei giggled and nuzzled into Kai's chest, being careful not to hurt his love's neck. Kai couldn't wait to be let out of the hospital and be with his neko-jin. Nothing meant more to him than his cat.

"What are you thinking about?" Rei purred into his ear. Kai smiled and stole a kiss from the dark-haired boy and saw Tyson roll his eyes as he perched back onto the edge of the bed. The elder blunette thought it was just too easy to play with him…

"You." He pushed a lock of black feathering behind Rei's ear and stroked his face, gazing lovingly into the sweet amber of his love's eyes. The neko blushed and kissed Kai, who responded. Tyson groaned, looking away. The elder blunette pulled back from Rei and placed a hand on Tyson's shoulder, who shrugged it off. Smirking evilly at his neko-jin-love, Kai leant forward and kissed a very surprised Tyson, before letting go and laughing at the confused younger teen.

"What… What the... I don't... Kai?" Leaning back against his pillows, the elder teen chuckled, and Rei giggled at Tyson's dazed expression.

"Enjoy that Ty?" The cat asked him, ruffling the navy hair. The boy was silent for a while before turning to his friends, his cheeks baring a very slight hint of a blush.

"So… You on for a threesome?"

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Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.


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